Bleach: Rewrite the Past
by LDSAuthor2013
Summary: Aizen returned to full power at the end of the 1,000 year War and destroyed the Shinigami Realm. In order to make things right, Ichigo goes back in time to stop his evil before it corrupts the universe too much. But, can he do that...when he ends up 175 years back in time, without even access to his Shikai release?
1. Chap 1: In the Aftermath

Smoke slowly billowed up in a large ashen cloud that hovered low over the charred and cratered landscape. Enormous towers and fortress-like buildings sat in collapsed heaps throughout, the ruins tumbling along broken roads and shattered walls. All the land was covered in a pale ash-like dust that swirled slowly over the crushed city, and an evil stench, like sulfur mixed with rotting souls, filled the air. If there were any souls left to breathe the toxic air, no doubt they would have been killed in seconds. However, sadly, not a soul could be found within the ruined remains of what had once been the Seireitei.

Well, perhaps not anyone.

Deep within the towering pile of rubble that had once been Sōkyoku Hill, down a secret passage, was an enormous cavern, perhaps anywhere from fifty to five-hundred meters wide. For years, this secret cavern had been a base of training for young Shinigami, used oft by the ex-captains Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Uruhara, and their multiple peers and students. However, now its rugged, rocky terrain served as a bunker for the few remaining survivors of the war that had just gone on.

Kisuke himself had been one of the few lucky ones. The usually perverted, blonde-haired shopkeeper, rarely seen without a fan obscuring his face from the outside world, was staring blankly over the group of ragged and worn-down souls before him. He looked down at his geta-clad feet, a grimace quickly growing on his face.

It had happened in a blink of an eye, a surprise to everyone in the Realm of the Shinigami, and especially so for their enemies, the Sternritters. One minute the two groups were at each other's throats, ready to end the others lives. Ichigo himself was close to winning the battle against Juha Bach, Uryuu switching sides last minute to give him an extra hand in tackling the powerful foe. The next minute, though, an explosion cut through the battles, making all freeze. The area where the Maggot's Nest lay was up in smoke, and one single figure stepped clear of the ash. A man no one had expected to come back, nor with such weighty power. Sōsuke Aizen, Bane of the Realms.

Kisuke's grimace grew deeper, and he gripped the handle of his concealed Benehime tightly, trying to stifle his anger. In a way, he felt as though it was his fault for the carnage Aizen had caused now. He should have known the man had planned for his powers being taken away, and was planning a surprise attack midst the chaos of the 1,000-year Blood War. Aizen would not simply sit back when the opportunity to take control again. He must have been planning it out for so long—and Kisuke had been too blind to see it.

"Don't beat yourself up, Kisuke," his old friend Yoruichi said, walking up to his side and giving him a soft, comforting smile. "No one could have guessed that Aizen was planning on returning. Or that he would have obtained his transcendent abilities again." Kisuke frowned darkly and looked back at his dark-skinned friend.

"No, no one could have guessed it, Yoruichi," he said, turning back to the others, "but someone should have at least pondered over the thought that perhaps the chance would show itself that he could and would return. Yet, because no one did, we are now paying for it." He sighed, staring over at the wounded souls laying or staggering throughout the caverns. "And the worst part is that the young are the ones paying for our mistakes."

Yoruichi nodded sadly, following his gaze. There were only ten other members of their group, out of the hundreds of Shinigami and Quincies, who had survived. Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai sat on a large rock, moodily staring off into the distance. They had a right to be drowning in the gloom. Ichigo's friend, Renji's girlfriend, Rukia Kuchiki, had been one of the first killed by Aizen's merciless hand. Beyond them, Yasutora 'Chad' Sado was stretched out on a mat as Hanatoro Yamada cared to him, bandaging the man's right arm with his own bandaged hands. Chad's left arm was completely gone, torn off by a wayward Getsuga Tenshō Ichigo had fired, the giant man barely blocking it from hitting Orihime Inoue.

Said girl was just beyond them, kneeling beside Uryuu's side as she tediously worked on his battered and broken, yet still living, body. Former 10th Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya sat between Ikkaku Madarame and Shūhei Hisagi, all three men losing friends that were near and dear to them. Tōshirō had lost his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, and his childhood friend, Momo Hinamori, while Ikkaku had lost his old friend Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Shūhei had lost his idol and master, Kensei Muguruma. The last person in their group, curled in a ball at the edge of a small rocky cliff, gripping a straw cap with all her strength, was Nanao Ise. Tears streamed down her face, and all of the other survivors could tell the broken girl wanted some time alone with her sufferings.

"They don't deserve this," Kisuke said, turning away from the sorry crowd behind him and sighing, "they are still young souls. Shūhei, Renji, and the other Shinigami are no older than perhaps one-hundred-fifty years old. And Ichigo and his friends, they're still alive. They're no older than twenty years old. And yet now they've seen more loss and death than any other humans have. It's just not fair."

Yoruichi nodded, sighing sadly. "Well, Kisuke," she said finally, flipping her long purple hair back, "it isn't fair, but what are we gonna do about it?" Kisuke shrugged, shaking his head, making Yoruichi pout slightly, a shadow of her old, playful side still intact. "Oh, come on! I know you have it with you, just in case this happened!" Kisuke shook his head, turning away.

"Even if I used it, now, I'm too weak to use the scroll, and the powers they grant. I'd be useless once I got on the other side." Yoruichi frowned and stood up quickly, grabbing the arm of her friend.

"But what if you didn't have to use it, Kisuke?" Yoruichi said, frowning deeply. "What if someone else, stronger, used the scroll, to make everything the way it should be!"

Kisuke frowned, turning back towards his old friend. The purple-haired vixen nodded back silently, gesturing to the side with the nudge of her head. Slowly, Kisuke looked down the way Yoruichi was gesturing, and a spark of hope entered his heart. Of course, it was so obvious! Kisuke turned back to Yoruichi and smirked.

"Why do you always have to be right?" he asked, shaking his head as he walked back to a certain orange-haired Shinigami.

* * *

Ichigo and Renji sat in silence beside each other, neither party needing or wanting to speak much over the events of the last few hours. Both young men easily looked as though they had seen much better days, with Ichigo's whole body except for his head wrapped in several tight bandages, and Renji just as bandaged, along with a broken arm, and unkempt hair that just pooled down his back. Though their injuries were bad, though, it was nothing like the pain the two felt in their hearts.

Renji finally broke the silent, his shoulders slowly shaking as he began to choke out half-restrained sobs. After two or three choked sobs, Renji's whole frame shook with sadness, and he painfully erupted into a fit of tears and moans. Ichigo just gripped his shoulder firmly, unmoving, as Renji continued to break down.

"She…she loved me…Ichi…Ichigo…!" Renji moaned, burying his face in his arms. "We…we…_sob_…we were gonna…gonna get married…after the…the war! And…and now…" Renji gave up trying to speak and just let out an animalistic, heart-wrenching roar of tears, gripping himself as if he would fall apart at the seams if he let go. Which, currently, didn't seem that wrong of a statement.

Ichigo felt a pang of heartache for his old friend, but just held his shoulder tightly, nodding. He had felt loss and pain before, just like everyone else here. He hadn't lost a love to death, like Renji and Rukia, but his mother had died when he was only nine years old. And his father…and sisters…

Ichigo grimaced, a small, bitter tear slowly rolling down the side of his face. When the Sternritters attacked again, Isshin had come to give as much aid as he could. Unknown to him, Ichigo's little sisters had tagged along, using reiatsu-concealing cloaks that hid them from their father's knowledge. Ichigo didn't know if it was because they wanted to finally help, or if they just wanted to watch their family dish out the hurt for once. But when the Sternritters found them, hiding in the shadows while watching Isshin battle a gun-wielding Sternritter, they had not been spared. Isshin and Ichigo found their bodies lying in a pile of rubble, the Sternritters who had killed them leering dubiously at them. The two Kurosaki/Shibas had quickly torn the Quincies apart, and Isshin had found them too strong to face, even with his son by his side. The sight of his father, grinning weakly at his son before his eyes glazed over in death, ricocheted through Ichigo's head, replaying like a record stuck on repeat.

Between Ichigo's bitterly scowls at the rocky ground, and Renji painful moans, both young men could agree that they were in the worst state they had ever been in their entire lives.

"Life sucks, doesn't it boys?"

Ichigo's scowl grew as the annoying shopkeeper's words slipped over to him, but he sighed and looked up, nodding. He was surprised to see Uruhara's usually sly, conniving smirk replaced with an almost unflinching gaze of suffering, with only a small spark of hope buried deep within his irises. Still, Ichigo, being the straight-forward youth that he was, stood and frowned at the ex-captain and asked slowly, "What do you want, Hat-n-Clogs?"

The blonde-haired man sighed at his student's bluntness and took his hat off, and then did the one thing that surprised both Ichigo and Renji, as well as brought many raised eyebrows throughout the cavern. He knelt down before Ichigo, hand still on his cane, and bowed.

"I am sorry, Ichigo," he said, staring blankly at the ground. "It is my fault your father and sisters are dead, and it's my fault that the rest of the Realm burned into a pile of ash and rubble. I had called Isshin to help with the war, and if I hadn't, Yuzu and Karin would not have come and died. I also had not been prepared for Aizen's return, and because of that, we are the only people still alive in this Realm. It is my fault, and I ask you to forgive me, Ichigo Kurosaki Shiba," he said, staying bowed, "and ask that you help me fix what I have wronged."

To say that Ichigo was shocked would have been the largest understatement of the year. The entire cavern was silent; even Nanao looked up from Shunsui's hat, her sobs cut off as she stared at the ex-captain bowing before the former substitute Shinigami. After a moment or so passed in silence, Ichigo frowned and stepped towards Uruhara.

"First; get up, Uruhara-san! You don't need to kneel, okay?" The ex-captain nodded, quickly standing back up. "Second; what do I have to do to make things right?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms in front of him. The old shopkeeper smiled and placed his hat back on his head.

"You trust me, Ichigo?" Uruhara asked, staring his old student in the eyes. The orange-haired Shinigami sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"Not really, Uruhara. But, if you say that we can make things right again, then I'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means I have to blindly follow you." Uruhara smirked, glad to see his student was still wary of him, but willing to do anything. His heart really was large enough to save the entire world; maybe he could do this after all.

"Don't worry, Ichigo, I don't plan on leaving you out in the dark," he said, smirking. Slowly, he reached into the sleeve of his shirt and pulled out an ancient, withered looking scroll with a blue ribbon tied around the center. He stared at the old scroll for a moment, and then handed it slowly to Ichigo. "That in your hand, Ichigo, is our one hope at making this right. It is the last-remaining Jikan Scroll, a series of Scrolls made by the first Kidō Commander that can send one soul back to a desired time. By using it, you can travel back in time and stop Aizen before his corruption destroys too much of the Shinigami Realm."

Ichigo nodded, looking over the ancient scroll slowly. "Why aren't you going back, Uruhara-sama?" Renji asked, curiosity and fear biting at the edge of his tongue. The former substitute Shinigami nodded with his friend. It did seem strange that the man who had the scroll that could change the tide was the very man asking him to use it. Why wouldn't he use it himself.

"Unfortunately," Uruhara said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, "I'm not strong enough to use it. The Kidō Commanders didn't want just anyone to use the Jikan Scrolls. They only trusted those strong enough and honorable enough to be able to change time for the better. The Jikan Scroll cannot be used by anyone who is selfish and proud, and only by those who have strength equal to or greater than a Kidō Commander's power. And while I lack in both of those areas, you, my friend, do not." Sighing, he looked again at the scroll in his hand. Ichigo frowned and looked back up at the shopkeeper.

"So, that's why you're asking me to use it…now _how_ do I use it?" Uruhara smirked, stepping back and nodding.

"Well, all you have to do is open the scroll, focus on a time you want to return to, read the incantation on the scroll, and then hope this doesn't blow up in your face." Ichigo glared at Uruhara, and then at everyone else as the other eleven souls slowly backed away from him.

"Simple as that?" he finally asked, undoing the bindings on the scroll and holding it open before him. "All right then…wish me good luck, guys." He sighed, clenching his eyes shut and furrowing his brow as he tried to concentrate. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes and stared at the paper before him. "_Ye gods who lay in the heavens, grant me the power to change the past, to heal the present, and to write the future. Change my destiny, save my lost ones, protect my loved ones. Tear open time and send me back to the past! Kakinaoshi Tokei!_"

The cavern was suddenly filled with a thick blanket of power. A tear in space, much like a Garganta, slashed out behind him as pale blue energy swirled around him. Ichigo grimaced, feeling a powerful wind or pressure pushing him back, further and further into the crack. With a roar, he clenched his eyes shut, and let go, slipping back into the crack. Instantly, the tear in space sealed, and the wind in the battle cavern died down. Uruhara looked over at the spot Ichigo had been standing in and sighed, lowering the shadow of his hat well below his eyes.

"Good luck, Ichigo. You're our last hope."


	2. Chap 2: Onward, to the Past

Ichigo screamed. He couldn't help it. He had faced dozens of foes since the day he first received his Shinigami powers from Rukia Kuchiki, and almost always been in some state of intense pain. Yet, every battle he'd fought in paled in comparison to the beating he was getting from the Time Passage Uruhara's Jikan scroll had opened.

It was absolutely unbearable. While he felt as though he was falling endlessly through the air, spinning wildly as he fell, he also felt the strange feeling as though he was shooting up into the heavens, rocketing up with a force that could knock his soul clear to another galaxy. His body was burning from an intense heat that could make Ryūjin Jakka's attacks feel like dying embers, and yet he felt as though his entire frame was gripped in a frosty bite more powerful than Hyourinmaru's slashes. He felt as though his blood was being drained from every pore, and at the same time felt as though all the blood was rushing to his head would explode at any second. And as if that wasn't bad enough, it felt as though his soul was being consumed by a huge monster, from the inside out.

In other words, he felt like crap.

**You think you got it bad, Kingy?! **he heard his annoying HollowfiedZanpakuto shout angrily within his mind. **Try bein' inside your inner world while this is goin' on! It's like a nine-point earthquake's going on in here! **Ichigo growled at his darker half and shot back a quick reply.

_Well, I'm sorry, but I can't really do much about it, Hichigo! _Ichigo shouted, grimacing from the pain on his body and the pain in his neck. _I'm barely surviving here, so I really do not need your criticism right now, dude!_

**Well, sorry Kingy, but as long as your inner world's in chaos, you'll be screwed! Which means I'll be screwed, and I don't want that! **Ichigo sighed, shaking his head.

_Why can't Zangetsu ever tell me what I need to do? Why do I always have to get this kind of advice from this over-bleached piece of—_

_**I believe what Hichigo is trying to say, Ichigo, **_Zangetsu announced, finally making his appearance, _**is that you will not be able to leave the Time Passage as long as you are internally in turmoil.**_ He paused, trying to find the right way to explain their predicament. _**It's like attaining any of your powers, be they Hollow or Shinigami. You need to focus less on the problem itself, Ichigo, and still your soul.**_

**Yeah, Kingy! **Hichigo added, jumping back in. **Ol' Man Zangetsu's right! Stop freakin' out like some little girl, man up, and get us out of this freaky place! I don't wanna die just yet!**

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his white photo-copy of himself and clenched his eyes shut. _Okaaay…so how do I do that exactly?_ He could almost hear both parts of his Zanpakuto sigh in annoyance, Hichigo adding quite a few swearwords to his sighs.

_**First, take a deep breath. Don't worry so much about what's going on. Breathe, relax. **_Ichigo nodded slowly, taking a long breath. After a few moments, he could feel the pain slowly slipping away. Before long, the burning was dulled down to a light sting, the frost to dull numbness, and the feeling of falling out of control became more…relaxed. Ichigo cautiously opened his eyes, and sighed. He was still in the darkness, but at least he wasn't in severe pain.

**Yeah, look on the bright side, Kingy,** he heard his Hollow mock, **we may be lost in the Time Passage, stuck between times, and may never see the light of day again, but at least we don't feel like we just took on all of the Captains at once! **Ichigo growled angrily, but Hichigo ignored him, continuing. **So now that we are done falling, maybe you can put that thing between your ears to some good use, and get us out of here, because as far as I can tell, we're still stuck!**

_Hichigo, don't get your panties in a twist, _Ichigo muttered bitterly, a small smirk growing on his face as he felt his inner demon send him a piercing scowl. _So, Zangetsu, we've stopped. What's next?_

The powerful, older-looking spirit frowned. _**This next part is difficult. In order to open the gateway to another time, you need to focus on a time that will be best for us to enter into. You need to remain focused and relaxed, otherwise we'll just end up falling through chaos again.**_

**And knowing your skills with focusing, we could end up falling for quite some time, **Hichigo added, sneering venomously.

_Then I just have to focus, and we'll be fine, Hichigo! _Ichigo shot back angrily. Sighing, he closed his eyes, trying to picture a set time to return to. The problem, though, was he just couldn't decide on when to return. If he came back during his life time, he could end up causing one of those crazy rifts in time and space that destroy the whole world. Besides, Aizen's mark was too deep even then. If he just returned to the day he became a Shinigami, the Visoreds would still be hurt by Aizen's power, and the Shinigami Realm would still be in chaos from his betrayal. But, if Ichigo went too far back, he might get lost, or killed. He wanted to change everything…but how far back would he have to go to actually make a big enough difference?

_**I know this is troubling Ichigo, but just trust yourself. Your soul will guide you to the right exit.**_ Ichigo nodded at the Sword Spirit's words and closed his eyes again. His breathing became even, steady, and slow. He cast his mind out as far as he could, and clenched his fists tightly.

_I just…I just want to fix everything…_

Suddenly, before Ichigo could think, he felt a strong presence tug on his shihakushō, pulling him back down the tunnel of time. His eyes opened again, and after a few moments, a large grin grew across his face. Right in front of him, cutting through the darkness of the passage, was door-shaped opening, glowing with bright, ethereal light. Ichigo smirked and leaned forward, gaining momentum as he shot towards the doorway. _Here goes nothing!_

The bright light burned into his eyes and shocked his senses, but he pushed on, grinning as his vision began to clear. Bright blue skies above him, with small clouds aimlessly easing along, long rows of houses and villas built in an old Japanese style of architecture, and the feeling of pure reishi seeping into his veins and filling his soul with happiness; there was no doubting it, Ichigo had made it back to the Shinigami Realm.

"Yes! It actually worked…" It was then that Ichigo realized where he was. Two-hundred feet above the dome-like barrier of the Seireimon, frozen in the middle of the air. Before Ichigo could try to stop himself, gravity caught up with him, and he plummeted.

"HAT-N-CLOGGGSSSS!" Ichigo shouted at the top of his lungs, bracing himself for the impact. As soon as he hit the barrier, he shot off, like a cannonball out of a cannon, into the Rukongai. He was certain people were staring and pointing, but he ignored them. He was more worried about where he was going to land. Which ended up being in the middle of a field, forming an large crater several meters wide and several feet deep. Ichigo groaned painfully, the exhaustion and abuse finally hitting him.

"Crap," Ichigo managed to mutter before blacking out.

* * *

"I am sorry, Kaien Shiba, but you are not yet ready to join the ranks of the Shinigami, even as a student." The black-haired boy stared in shock at the Shin'ō Academy Representative. The elder soul's words rang, clear and sharp, through his ears, their painful truth they told cutting him down like no Zanpakuto could. Slowly, Kaien stared at his hands, set on his knees, their knuckles buckling into bone-white fists. He was certain that his fingernails were cutting into his skin now, but he didn't care about that now. All Kaien could feel was shock, plain and full.

Another Shinigami stood up and moved to the back of the room. "You may attempt again, in one year's time, if you still feel like you would wish to join the Gotei 13, Kaien Shiba," he said, frowning, "but, honestly, I think it's time you gave up." Kaien looked up, bewilderment strewn across his face. "Think about it, Kaien. Every year, you come to this building, a confident grin on your face, and show your skills to the Shinigami who are attending, Shinigami who have the same skills you have, and have refined them far more than you ever could. And every year, you fail the exam, often times horribly. I know you want to join the ranks of the Shinigami like your uncle, Isshin Shiba, head of the Shiba Clan, did fifteen years ago, but you are not your uncle. I'm sorry, but I seriously think you should just stop having these fantasies of joining the Gotei 13, and move on with your life."

Kaien stared at the ground again for a few moments, before shaking his head and slowly pulling himself to his feet. "Thank you for that insight, Shinigami-dono," Kaien said, bowing his head in respect, "but, if I held the same mentality that you believe I should hold, then I would fail at everything I seek after." The Shinigami sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"So, I suppose that you are to be expected again, in one year's time?" Kaien nodded, grinning.

"Of course! I still have a chance to make it, don't I? I'll see you again in a year, Shinigami-dono." Smirking a bit, he turned on his heel and left the large room. The Shinigami watched him leave and smiled, shaking his head. He was a curious one, that Kaien. He would have to keep a close eye on him, if he did ever manage to make it into the Gotei 13.

"But that would take a miracle!" he said to aloud, chuckling a bit. The Shinigami let out a long sigh at this, then turned back towards the entrance and moved on towards the Seireitei, leaving his fellow Shinigami behind to deal with the rest of the hopeless trash the Rukongai carried. Captain Hirako wouldn't be happy if he appeared late again. Smirking coolly, Sōsuke Aizen slowly slipped into the Seireitei, leaving the Rukongai far behind him.

* * *

Kaien sighed as he slowly moved along the road back to the Shiba Mansion. He was in no great hurry to return to the place. When he did get there, no doubt he would be surrounded by his little brother Ganju and his little sister Kūkaku, and the blitzkrieg of questions about his entrance exam would begin. Kaien grimaced as he thought of young Ganju, the little boy's eyes wide with excitement at the thought of his brother becoming a Shinigami. He'd be crushed when that same brother would have to tell him it would be a little while longer before he became a Shinigami, if the possibility even existed still. Frowning, Kaien came to a stop just beyond the dusty streets of the Rukongai and looked out over the rolling fields beyond the city.

Where had he gone wrong? Kaien had always been completely confident in his abilities. He was unbelievably intelligent for a soul of such young an age, only about one-hundred years, as well as being extremely skilled in all kinds of kidō spells. The Shinigami were extremely impressed by his amount of reiatsu control, as well as his knowledge of hadō and bakudō. And his speed was incredible; only one of the Shinigami present had managed to out-pace him, though he had been from the Onmitsukidō, so it seemed fair. The only thing he really could seriously work on would have to be Zanjutsu, seeing as he didn't have a Zanpakuto yet. Sighing, Kaien stared down at the valley. If that was the one thing he had to work on, then why had he been forced to stay back?

Sighing, Kaien shook his head free of such negative thoughts and began trudging his way down to the Shiba Mansion. Accent on began. About halfway down the hill, Kaien suddenly came to a stop, his eyes wide. Sitting at the base of the hill was a huge crater, almost twenty feet in diameter, and six feet deep. And lying at the bottom was a man with spiky orange hair, a Soul Reaper's cloak, and two large, ōdachi-style blades that stood erect in the earth on either side of him. But what shocked the young Shiba the most, though, was the fact that the man before him looked just like him, except for his vibrant hair of course.

Kaien stared at the downed Shinigami for a moment or two longer and then shook himself firmly. Quickly, he walked down to the crater, picked him up, and continued on his way to the Shiba Mansion. Who the man was, and why he had Kaien's face didn't matter at that moment; right now, this man needed help, and Kaien could give it to him.


	3. Chap 3: Something Lost

Kaien staggered the rest of the way down the street, well-aware of the perplexed and anxious looks the other Rukongai residents were shooting his way. Some asked him if he needed help, or bluntly asked what had happened. Kaien would just wave the questions and favors away, a sharp grimace on his face as plain as the cause of his expression.

The Shinigami himself, who Kaien was dragging with one arm around his shoulders, wasn't that much of a burden. After all, Kaien had to grow up with Ganju and Kukakū; he was used to carrying dead weights on his shoulders. The real problem was the Shinigami's Zanpakutos, two long swords, each easily six feet long. The Konpaku silently wondered how someone who appeared to be no older than he was could wield not only one, but both of the large blades. Carrying both of them, and the Shinigami, was quickly wearing the Shiba boy out.

Thankfully, Kaien could see Shiba Mansion clearly as he rounded the last corner that lead there. The mansion was truly a spectacle to behold, built into the side of a large hill, and burrowing down into the center, like a large, man-made mole. It was made much like the rest of the Rukongai buildings, in the traditional Japanese design, yet at the same time standing above the others with unbelievable beauty and undeniable immensity. A long, cobblestone walkway lead up to the two large, oaken doors of the mansion while passing underneath a crimson-red gateway and past two large statues of the first Shiba Head. Kaien couldn't help but nod to the statues as he passed them, as though the two titanic figures of bronze could notice his presence.

After a few more exhausted steps up the walkway, Kaien finally reached the front door, letting out a small sigh. Then, with a mighty kick, he knocked the door back and stumbled inside. And was just as suddenly attacked by a small blur of black hair.

"KAIEN!" the blur shouted, burying its head into the older Konpaku's chest as he gave him a forceful hug. "How did it go, Nīsan? Did you make it into the academy? Are ya gonna be a Shinigami, just like Uncle Isshin?" Kaien scrambled in his mind for an answer, but before he could, the boy wrapped around his torso was suddenly pulled off him and thrown across the room.

"Ganju, don't smother Kaien!" Kukakū shouted, a sharp scowl set on her face. Ganju groaned, pushing himself up off the floor and nodded silently to his sister.

"Got it, Nēchan," he muttered softly. Kukakū nodded to him and turned back to Kaien. At least, until Ganju muttered something unintelligible under his breath. In less than a second, the black-haired boy was flying across the room again, though this time with his sister's foot wedged in his chest.

"WHAT WAS THAT, PIPSQUEAK?!" she challenged darkly, kicking him again, this time into the floor. "I dare you to say that to my face, you little—"

"Kukakū," Kaien stated softly, picking the black-haired girl up by the collar of her kimono and lifting her off of her black-and-blue baby brother. "If you two could stop fighting for five seconds, you would have noticed that I need some help here." Slowly, he and his siblings turned back to the front door, where the Shinigami was lying sprawled out on the ground, his blades set right beside him. Ganju pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and stared at the orange-haired man before him.

"Wow, Kaien…if you didn't get into the Shinō Academy, then you have a right to be mad, but…kidnapping a Shinigami is going too far!"

Kaien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I didn't kidnap him, Ganju! I found him unconscious in a huge crater about half a mile away from here. I thought the best thing to do would be to bring him here and get him fixed up." Kukakū frowned in her brother's grip and stared at the still unconscious samurai.

"Um, shouldn't the best thing be getting the Shinigami to the Seireitei?" she asked, looking up at her brother. Kaien shrugged, moving back to the Shinigami and slowly picking him back up.

"Well, yeah, but seeing as we can't get in without passes, and Uncle Isshin won't be here for another week, we're just gonna have to keep him here for now." Kaien smiled and shook his head. "It'll be fine, Kukakū, trust me. Now help me take him and his Zanpakutos up to the guest room, and Ganju, get Shūzen up there so he can begin healing him." The little black-haired boy nodded, quickly running down the hall to get the Shiba Family healer. Kaien smiled as he left, and quickly began carrying the Shinigami up the stairs.

* * *

Ichigo groaned painfully once again, silently cursing the universe and its odd choice of using him as its personal punching bag. He was getting rather tired of being knocked around, slashed apart, and going to Hell and back again to get what he needed. Honestly, couldn't something go his way just once in life?

Slowly, the Shinigami pushed himself up into sitting position, trying to steady himself despite his pounding head. He shook his head slowly, the percussionist in his skull hammering out a cadence that could wake the living dead. Groaning once more, he rubbed his forehead slowly, trying to ease the pain. After a moment or so, the migraine-or whatever it was-ended, and Ichigo blearily blinked his eyes open, quickly staring around him.

Not much to his surprise, he was once again lying on the side of one of the buildings in his soul. His inner world looked fairly good, considering the pain he had just gone through, and Ichigo smiled around at the other skyscrapers that surrounded him. At the base of the towers, he could see the damage the Time Passage caused him, the concrete below crushed and uneven, like after an earthquake. The sentinels of steel, concrete and glass, though, still stood tall, and seemed to have improved since he last entered his world, now looking more modern and ornate. However, he could tell it was more unstable than it seemed, the glass seeming to ripple like water with every cautious step Ichigo took, and in them, he could see the sad reflections of the sky up above. Large, grey clouds filled the sky, warning of a possible storm that could come upon the inner world, and a few flecks of rain appeared here and there, creating small ripples in the water.

"_**How sad, it appears as though we are still in for yet another storm, Ichigo**_," a voice called behind him. Ichigo quickly turned around, and a small frown grew on his face. Standing behind him were his two companion spirits, the two sides to his Zanpakuto. Like his inner world, they themselves seemed to have changed since the last time he had met them, and he looked over the two of them slowly.

At first glance, the older of the two almost appeared to have not changed at all. His hair still fell unkempt from his head down his shoulders and back, and his dulled orange shades sat over his eyes like always, the two windows to his soul looking sad and tired. However, as Ichigo looked closer, he was mildly surprised to see that, underneath his swirling cloak of shadows, the sword spirit now wore a dark version of the Sternritter's uniforms, however with the addition of a sort of steel sleeve that covered and protected his right arm. Attached to his belt was the sheath of a large combat knife, though the blade itself was missing. Add to the look his already intimidating aura he gave off, and now Ichigo was certain he didn't want to cross his Zanpakuto again.

Hichigo's change, however, was much more noticeable than his partner's. The over-bleached Hollow version of himself no longer wore a white version of his shihakusho, but instead wore an outfit similar to Aizen's when the traitorous man had been in control of the Espadas. On top of the white jacket and pants, the Hollowfied Zanpakuto wore a long, white cloak, much like a Captain's haori, but with black fur on the hem of the robe and around the wrists. The Bull Devil Hollow mask that Hichigo wore was nowhere to be seen, nor was his huge butcher's blade anywhere near him. However, the demon's face hadn't changed at all; still a whited-out, snarky version of his better half. Ichigo sighed and nodded to the two of them.

"Hey guys, how's it goin'?" he asked casually. Hichigo smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"**Oh, jus' fine, Kingy. Besides, you know, the storm that'll be comin' in soon, plus the fact that your entire inner world is completely and utterly unstable. Yeah, we're just frickin' fantastic in here right now!**"

Ichigo frowned again and looked out at the sideways city. "Yeah, I noticed that the buildings weren't solid anymore, more like liquid than steel and glass." He paused, looking over at the two of them. "Do you guys have any idea why this may have happened?" The older Zanpakuto nodded solemnly, folding his arms firmly across his chest and lowering his head slightly, his eyes closed in thought.

"_**It appears to me that the Time Passage did more damage to our soul than we originally thought, Ichigo,**_" he said, frowning. "_**The use of the technique drains a considerable amount of reiatsu from its user, and the increments it is drained in only grows the further back in time the user goes. So, at first I merely believed that our soul was merely exhausted from the use of the Jikan Scroll, and would return to the stable, powerful state we were previously in.**_"

"Originally thought?" Ichigo asked, not liking how his mentor and friend had spoken the thoughts.

"**Yeah, originally, Kingy!**" Hichigo said, jumping in where the older Zanpakuto started off. "**Now that we've had the time to look around, we can tell that something just ain't right with your soul right now. Old Man over there thinks that maybe when we shot through that doorway to whenever we are, our soul fragmented and ended up shattering. So now our entire inner world is in for one big shit storm.**"

"Wait," Ichigo exclaimed, worry and anger in his voice, "how could my soul have shattered? I mean, I feel fine right now, and you two are still here. How could my soul have shattered, like you guys said?" The elder of the two stepped forward, his long dark hair casting a dark shadow over his face.

"_**We're not certain, Ichigo,**_" he began, frowning, "_**but we believe that the fragmentation of your soul did nothing to separate the three of us, rather it caused you to lose nearly all of the abilities you have garnered over the last few years, along with the massive amount of reiatsu you used in travelling back in time. Currently, I believe that you have access only to Hichigo's Hollow mask, and even then, it is but the original mask that you first received when you became an unofficial member of the Visoreds. Other than that, you are simply another Shinigami who now carries two very long Zanpakutos.**_"

Ichigo's mind was reeling. "Wait, that can't be possible! I mean, I can't have lost all of my powers! I couldn't have just lost both my Bankai and my Shikai in one fell swoop, without me realizing it!" Hichigo growled and shook his head, ready to bite his partner's head off because of his ignorance.

"**Idiot, why would we lie to you about this? If you really have your powers, then tell me Kingy, what's our name?**"

Ichigo glared back and began to spit back a reply. "What do you mean, what's your name? It's…"

Ichigo's voice stopped, the words caught in his throat. He knew the name, he could say it, he knew it by heart. And yet, for some odd reason, he couldn't make the word speak. His throat felt dry, and Ichigo slowly took a shaky breath. When he looked back up, both of the Zanpakuto were standing right in front of him, the worry on their faces plain as day. Slowly, he released a long, drawn-out sigh.

"So, it's true?" he finally asked, staring the elder Zanpakuto in the eyes. He nodded, a frown firm on his face.

"_**Indeed it is, Ichigo. And this time, we have no Kisuke Uruhara or Yoruichi Shihōin to aid us in your pursuit for power. You will need to start from the beginning again, gaining both of our powers once more, earning them through hard work.**_" He paused, watching his partner take in the information, and then continued. "_**Luckily, you already know the process, so even with the trouble we must go through to return your powers to you, it should not take too long of a process. In fact, I believe we may be able to reach Shikai release once more by the end of two years time.**_" Once again, he paused, looking at Ichigo, who simply scowled up at the Zanpakuto. After a minute, the orange-haired shinigami sighed and gave his partners a small, weak smile.

"Well then, we'd better get started."


	4. Chap 4: The Surprise Guest

Isshin Shiba couldn't hold back the grin that was growing on his face as he slowly made his way up the cobblestone path that lead to the Shiba Mansion. It had been more than a month since he'd last stayed at his childhood home, having been tied up with different affairs and missions with his squad in the Gotei 13. From Hollow attacks in the East Rukongai to training the newest division recruits, Isshin had begun to feel as though he was being worn a little thin. Luckily, the captain of his division noticed his exhaustion, and decided to send him on his break a week early, and for once the stubborn Shiba man did not try to fight him. A break would do Isshin good, and besides, it would be nice to see his niece and nephews again.

"Maybe Kaien finally made it into the Shinō Academy while I was gone," he wondered aloud as he stepped towards the large front doors of the mansion. The thought brought a bright smile to his face, and he sighed. His nephew's desire to be a Shinigami was unrivaled, and once he added his own skills to that desire, Kaien could easily overcome any hurdle in his way. "I'd better tell Byakuren-taicho to save a spot for him in our division, then," he said with a soft chuckle.

Smiling again, he looked up at the dark-tinged oaken doors and sighed once more. Slowly, he raised one single fist up to the door, and gave it a strong, loud knock. Grinning like an idiot, Isshin stepped back, snickering inwardly over the reactions he would be getting once the door opened and his nephews and niece found him standing there, a week early for his break.

Isshin stood there, smirking, for about another five seconds, and then groaned. He was not one for patience, and waiting even another minute for his relatives to open the door was going to drive him insane. Shaking his head in annoyance, he stepped back and gave the doors a good, solid kick, before shouting, "HEY KAIEN, KUKAKŪ, GANJU?! WHERE IS EVERYBODY?!"

The creak of floorboards above him and a loud scuffle across the floor above him reached his ears as he entered the estate, and before he was even five steps into the foyer, three figures appeared at the top of the stairs, staring in shock, surprise, and excitement at the man before them. "Uncle Isshin?!" the trio cried in unison. The Shinigami chuckled and leaned back, he arms folded across his chest.

"Hey now, is this any way to treat your uncle? I get my week off from work a week early, and this is what I get? No one was even at the door to welcome me in! I mean, really, I thought you loved your unc—oof!" Isshin was cut off as the two youngest Shibas tackled him with a powerful hug, and Kaien walked behind them, smirking like a freaking devil.

"Uncle Isshin!" Ganju cried, hugging the large man's torso as if his life depended on it.

"We missed you, Uncle!" Kukakū shouted, crushing the stalwart Shinigami with a hug just as strong as her brother's. Isshin sighed and hugged them back before quickly peeling the two off of him.

"I missed you kids too," he said, smiling. Quickly, he looked over at Kaien, the black-haired boy now at the base of the stairs, still smirking. Isshin grinned and bounded over to him, clasping the youth's hand in a firm handshake. "And Kaien, how have you been this last month I've been gone in the Seireitei?"

Kaien smiled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well, you know, been pretty good, besides trying to keep these two from killing each other, and getting denied once again from joining the Shinō Academy." At this, his uncle looked up in shock and quickly glared darkly.

"Seriously, Kaien? Who were the men in charge of the tests this time, Kaien, who?" Kaien grimaced, already feeling the killing intent dripping off of his uncle. As angry as he was at the Shinigami, he also didn't want to lash out at them. Besides, if Isshin went after them, they wouldn't live to see the next sunrise!

"R-really, Uncle Isshin, it's fine! I just need to work harder next time…" Kaien paused, seeing the cold scowl the Shinigami was giving him. After a moment, the Shiba youth sighed and hung his head in shame. "Kyōshi Kiseki, head of the Shinō Academy, and Sōsuke Aizen, fourth seat of the Fourth Division." Isshin nodded slowly, the names processing in his mind, and then turned sharply around, his right hand on the handle of his Zanpakuto as his rage built.

"Those idiots, I should go and teach 'em what Shibas can really…" Before he could even reach the Shiba Mansion's large doors, though, he paused. There was a strange feeling in the air, a new presence that he hadn't noticed before. Frowning, he closed his eyes and bowed his head down as he focused on feeling the reiatsu.

Kaien, noticing his uncle's silence, stared at him in worry, then to his two siblings, who were just as worried and curious. After a minute, Kukakū decided to be the one to voice all three siblings' thoughts. "Um, Uncle Isshin?" she asked, her voice taking on a surprisingly soft feeling, "What are you doing?"

Her question fell on deaf ears as the Shinigami continued to reach out, his mind utterly bewildered. The reiatsu he was feeling was a strange, abnormal reiatsu. He had been a member of the Gotei 13 for fifty years, and never in his life had he felt a presence quite like the one he was feeling now. In some ways, his reiatsu resembled that of a fellow Shinigami; heck, it even felt like he was feeling Kaien's reiatsu, but way stronger. But as he dug deeper, he also felt a dark, demonic aura upon it like unto a Hollow's, and another presence beside it, like a Quincy's, yet not exactly the style he was expecting.

"What is this?" he asked softly, turning towards the stairs.

"Uncle…?" Kaien asked, just as the Shinigami sped past him, using a quick and agile shunpo to climb the steps. In less than a second, Isshin was standing outside the door the presence was emanating from. The firm frown still present on his face, Isshin unsheathed his Zanpakuto and kicked the door open to find…a surprise.

Lying in a bed, wrapped in several large bandages and looking as though he was on the edge of dying, was a young man. He was dressed in the usual black shihakusho of the Shinigami, and his hair was a vibrant orange. What shocked him the most, though, was that the man before him almost looked identical to Kaien. Feeling the reiatsu of said Konpaku and his fellow siblings, Isshin sighed and sheathed his Zanpakuto, turning back to them.

"Okay kids, what's going on here? Who is this guy?"

Kaien, being the oldest, shrugged and walked up beside the bed. "I dunno. I found him unconscious in a crater, about half a mile away from here. I was actually going to show you to him when you came, but I was so surprised that I almost didn't have a chance. I thought, maybe, you know, you could take him to the Fourth Division and have him examined." Isshin frowned, looking down at the strange young man, and turned his voice to Kaien.

"And why does he have your face, Kaien?" At this, the young man frowned and looked over at the unconscious Shinigami.

"That is a good question. And again, I don't know." Isshin sighed, collapsing into a chair.

"Great. I just got a week to myself, and suddenly this…thing shows up! Why can't I have some peace in my life, at least for once in my life?!"

"First of all, my name is not 'thing'. It's Ichigo Kurosaki."

Everyone in the room froze. Isshin felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck, and slowly he turned around in the chair he was in. The orange-haired Shinigami was sitting up, a look of annoyance plainly set on his face. Isshin stared in shock and began to open his mouth to respond.

"And second of all," the young man continued, cutting off whatever Isshin was about to say, "you have no right to complain about your life, man. I've lost everyone I love and care for, almost in the blink of an eye. So don't talk about having no peace in your life, when my life hasn't seen an ounce of peace since I was eight and my mom was killed by a Hollow!"

Once again, the room fell into silence. No one was certain what to do. Finally, after the surprise left his face, Isshin sighed and stood up, nodding to the boy in the bed.

"I am sorry, Ichigo was it?" The Shinigami nodded, so Isshin continued. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that about you. Had I known—"

"You wouldn't have complained so loudly," Ichigo finished, a whisper of a smirk on his face. Isshin nodded, sighing.

"Yeah…it's just…I've never met a Konpaku with such a strange reiatsu signature as yours. I mean, you look like a Shinigami, but you have traits of Hollow and Quincy in you as well, and even a signature similar to members of the Shiba Clan. I was completely shocked…just who or what are you?"

Ichigo frowned, Isshin's words washing over him. _What do you guys think?_ he asked internally, directing his question to his Zanpakutos.

**I say we tell 'em**, Hichigo said, surprising Ichigo.

_Seriously, Hichigo? You think we should tell them about who I really am?_ The Hollow Zanpakuto shrugged, smirking wickedly again.

**Sure, I mean, why not? It's not like they'd believe you!** Ichigo glared at his Hollow's response. **But, if they did believe us, then we'd have a pretty good ally on our side. After all, aren't the Shibas like major big-shots in the Seireitei? Some royal family or something? If we get them on our side, if they believe us, then we'd have a lot of support from others. Plus, they could maybe swing for us to get into the Gotei 13, and then we can get closer to the source of our anger; Aizen.**

Both Ichigo and his elder Zanpakuto felt shock overcome their souls. …_Did that idiot actually have a good idea that for once did not involve skewering someone on the end of our sword?_ he asked in shock.

_**I believe he did, Ichigo,**_ the Zanpakuto said, a calm smile on his face. Hichigo sneered at both of them.

**Shut it, both of you! I can have good ideas…I just choose to follow the more maniacal side of my personality than my actual intelligence!** Ichigo rolled his eyes, smirking.

_Whatever Hichigo, anyway, we're agreeing on this, right? I don't want to go and blow our whole secret without all of my soul backing me up._ The Zanpakuto just gave the former Substitute Shinigami and comforting nod, and Ichigo smiled, turning back to Isshin and the others. The eldest raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ichigo sighed, and nodded.

_All right, here goes nothing._ "Well, you might want to sit down for a bit, all of you, because this could take a while…"

* * *

"…and so now I'm here, without even my Shikai release available to me, the weight of the world on my shoulders, and no clue as to how I'm going to kill that sick freak Aizen," Ichigo finally said, ending the two-hour long explanation. Slowly, he looked over at the others around him, and couldn't help but smirk at their surprise. Isshin's jaw was almost literally resting on the ground, Kaien's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head, and the two youngest, Kukakū and Ganju were lying unconscious on the ground.

Isshin was the first to recover, moving his hand to his mouth and gently setting it back in place. Frowning, he turned to Ichigo and opened his mouth, his mind struggling to come up with the correct words for his question. "…so…you're my son…in the future?" he finally managed to ask, his head swimming. Ichigo frowned, but nodded.

"Yeah, in my timeline at least, I'm your son. But, if I succeed here, and stop Aizen before he can corrupt the Gotei 13, then you may never meet my mom, and I'll never be born." He paused, scratching his head in confusion. "Or…I will be born, but not the same…or I'll just disappear, and come back as someone else…damn it, Uruhara, why didn't you mention how screwy time travel is?!"

Isshin chuckled softly and sighed. "I see, that would explain why you feel like a Shiba." Frowning suddenly, he looked up at Ichigo and leaned forward. "So, what now?"

The question seemed rather vague, but Ichigo could tell what the man was asking. "I don't know. I suppose I could try to join the Gotei 13, but I honestly don't know how to do that. I think Renji or Rukia mentioned something about an academy…crap, do I have to go to school all over again?!"

"You probably wouldn't be able to make it in, Kurosaki-san," Kaien said, frowning. "I took the entrance exam earlier today and didn't make it. And I've been preparing for years." Ichigo sighed. Of course, come so far, and now, another barrier. Suddenly, though, Isshin smirked, standing up.

"Don't worry, I plan to get both of you in that school." Ichigo and Kaien stared in shock.

"Really, Uncle Isshin?" Kaien asked, surprised. "But what about what Kiseki-san and Aizen-san said?" Isshin scowled, almost spitting as the name hit him.

"You heard what Ichigo just said. That Aizen's no good. I'm not listening to anything he says, not as long as I still live and breathe. And as for Kiseki, well, I'm certain I can twist his arm into opening two spots in his student body for you guys. Especially if I threaten to remove all of Shiba Clan's funding for the school." Both Ichigo and Kaien smirked, nodding.

"Trust me, Ichigo," Isshin said, smiling confidently, "we will succeed now where we failed in your timeline. Now then, get some rest. You'll need it, because tomorrow you, me, and Kaien are taking a trip to the Shinō Academy."


	5. Chap 5: Entering the Academy

Ichigo and Kaien sat silently outside the Headmaster's Office at the Shinō Academy. A blanket of anxiety wrapped tightly around them, and Ichigo could practically hear his racing heart screaming out to whatever all-powerful deity there was out there to let it all just stop, and get this over with. The young Shinigami could handle training to reach Bankai in three days, mastering his Hollow powers, and learning the Final Getsuga with little worry; but school was an entirely different world for him altogether.

Kaien wasn't much better. Every few minutes the black-haired Shiba youth would get up from his seated position beside Ichigo and begin pacing back and forth before them, muttering softly to himself. Ichigo was vaguely aware of the small rut Kaien was making in the hall, and began to silently wonder if, should they have to wait even longer, Kaien would wear down the floor completely and fall through. Ichigo cracked a smile at the thought, then quickly shook his head. With a somber sigh, he turned his attention to the doors of the Headmaster's office and folded his arms across his chest in thought.

"He's been in there for quite some time now," Ichigo muttered, voicing his thoughts to the world. Kaien, still nervously pacing, nodded and turned, coming back towards the orange-haired Shinigami and his seat.

"Yeah, but what can you expect? Kiseki-san is very adamant about his decisions with the Academy. If he decides someone shouldn't go to the academy, it takes something big to change his mind." Ichigo nodded his silent agreement towards Kaien's statement. He knew stubborn people well throughout life, and if this Kiseki was as bad as the ones he grew up with, he was in for one rough ride. Sighing, the orange-haired Shinigami leaned forward and began to slip into his thoughts.

_CRASH! SLAM! SMASH!_

Ichigo's eyes widened and snapped his head towards the doors of the office with enough force to knock a Gillian-class Hollow back to Hueco Mundo. Kaien jumped up, a look of anxiety and fear slapped onto his face. By the sounds coming from the office, the two could tell that the 'discussion' about the two Konpaku entering the Shinō Academy had just reached new heights. Ichigo grimaced as he heard what most likely was a desk slammed into one of the walls, followed by a pained grunt from the desk's victim. With a mighty bellow, the two returned to their fighting, and more chaos ensued.

"Should we help them?" Kaien asked, staring at the door in concern. Ichigo, puzzled as the Shiba boy was, began to answer, when the sounds of the brawl within came to a sudden stop. The thick layer of silence hovering over the establishment seemed almost worse than the sounds of the fight, and both boys began to worry for the welfare of the occupants' physical states. Finally, after a moment or two, the doorknob slowly turned, and the large oak door swung open.

"Ichigo, Kaien, come on in!" Isshin said, grinning from ear to ear. Which was strange, because the proud and brave nobleman looked as though he had just come back from a war. His shihakusho was torn in several places, one of his sleeves missing completely, and the other hanging limply by the shoulder. There was a large cut on his face that went from under his left eye to his right ear, and a longer cut on his sword arm dripped crimson red blood onto the wood floor.

Ichigo stared in shock and horror at the man who had in another life been his father. "What the frick was going on in here?!" he asked, staring into the room…or what remained, that is. The desk, chairs, and table were smashed and scattered throughout the room. One of the chairs was even sticking out of the far left wall, impaling a picture of the first thirteen captains in the Gotei 13. The man at the back of the room, smoking a long thin pipe, was even worse than the room or Isshin, with dozens of slashes across his body, and a large blackish-blue welt on the top of his head. His old eyes were clenched shut, most likely to hide the look of pain they would reveal, and his jaw clenched tightly on the pipe with almost enough pressure to snap it in half. Isshin chuckled as both Ichigo and Kaien took in the scene, and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, our discussion on your status as students at Shinō Academy took a slight turn for the worst, I'm afraid," he said, chuckling. Instantly his head snapped back as Ichigo's fist connected with the Shinigami's forehead.

"Idiot, how is fighting that old man gonna help us? We have zero chance of getting in now!"

Isshin grimaced, rubbing the large bruise that was starting to form on his forehead. "Shut up, Kurosaki," he said, frowning at the young man. "This discussion of ours may have seemed like it ruined everything for you two, but that is quite the opposite. You see, after much…debating, Kiseki-san finally decided he would let the two of you into the academy if I could beat him in a duel."

"I did not know you were going to have the duel in my own office, though, Shiba-san," the old man sighed, puffing on the end of his pipe. "I was hoping we could move it into the courtyard, where we could have more space." Isshin grinned at the elder Shinigami and shrugged his shoulders lamely.

"Hey old timer, a win's a win, no matter where or how it is made." Still grinning, the Shiba man turned back to Ichigo and Kaien and crossed his arms. "Anyway, long story short, you guys are allowed to enter the Shinō Academy."

Both of the young men beside him grinned with enthusiasm. "Finally!" Kaien exclaimed, grinning. "I can't believe that I finally get to be a Shinigami!"

Ichigo nodded to his friend, and then slowly turned towards Isshin. "So, when do we start?"

"Immediately," the old Shinigami academy Headmaster stated from the back of the room, slowly making his way towards the trio. Ichigo, then took a good look at him. He was certainly an ancient man, with features almost as aged as Captain Yamamoto's. He was bald, but had long silvery hair on the sides of his head and a cleanly-cut goatee. His wrinkled face gave him a perpetually harsh expression, and as he talked, the pipe in his mouth bounced slightly in the air. "Though it is a little late in the year for you to be joining our classes, I believe we can fit you two in with little trouble. I certainly believe that it would be best for the two of you to join us this instant rather than later." Both of the young men gave him a knowing look as the last words forced their way out of his throat, and the wrinkled man sighed. "Well, that, and I don't want to get another beating from Shiba-san for holding the two of you off until next year."

Ichigo nodded, but frowned slightly. Something about what the aged Shinigami said worried him. "All right, but, you said that we were entering the school a little late, right? How exactly are we going to be able to keep up with the other students?" Kiseki sighed, slipping the old pipe out of his mouth for a moment.

"Do not worry, Kurosaki-san," the old Shinigami said, staring out the open doorway. "I just sent a message to one of my most skilled students, asking him to tutor the two of you until you are up to speed with the rest of your peers." A faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he slid the pipe back into his mouth and turned back to the shambles of his office. "He should be here any minute, so until he gets here, you can help me fix my room."

Groaning, the trio stepped further into the office and began to mend the damage.

* * *

"Excuse me, Uruhara-san?"

The blonde young man looked up slowly from his textbook he was 'reading', wiping away a small stream of drool on his face with the back of his hand. "Uh, yeah Akatatsu-sensei?" he asked slowly, quickly sitting up-right in his desk. He noticed the mocking stares he was getting from Mayuri and Seinosuke at the end of the row but ignored them, focusing only on what the teacher at the front of the classroom was saying.

"I just received a message from Kiseki-sama," he said, frowning as the Hell Butterfly fluttered off his finger and flew back out the open classroom window. "He would like to speak to you in his office in five minutes. Something about new students or something like that."

Kisuke's eyes widened and he stood up quickly, grabbing his textbook. "I'll be right down there!" he shouted, lunging for the classroom door, and instead tripping down the steps towards it. The entire classroom groaned and sweat-dropped at his actions.

"What an annoying man," Mayuri muttered, his attention returning to the lecture. Kisuke shot his yellow-eyed colleague a glare that could freeze hell, and quickly shot out the door with a swift shunpo.

Within seconds, he was standing outside the door of the Headmaster's office. The door was shut, but Kisuke could clearly hear what was going on inside. The blonde smirked, listening to the old man inside ramble about the 'integrity and moral stability' of Shinō Academy. Honestly, if it was so great, why were half of his peers failing? Sighing, he grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open.

"Hey, Kiseki-sama, what's up?" he asked casually, a small smirk playing on his face. As he stepped in, he noticed a few things. First, the room looked like someone had hit it with a boulder, and then tried to clean it up, and failed horribly. Due to the injured status of the Headmaster at the back of the room, the old man was partially to blame for the damages. Second, there was another Shinigami in the room, a seated officer. Kisuke vaguely remembered the Shinigami showing up one day to watch the students, and hadn't been very impressed with what the school had to show. He, being less injured than the Headmaster, must have also been behind the damage to the , and most strange, was as soon as he had begun speaking, the fourth figure in the room, a young man probably as old as he was, suddenly froze, his shoulders shooting up in surprise. Before he could think too deeply on the oddness of it, the Headmaster looked up at him and sighed.

"Uruhara-san, do you have one respectful bone in your body?" Switching his attention from the orange-haired Konpaku to the Shinigami Headmaster, Kisuke smirked again and shrugged slightly.

"No, not really." Kiseki sighed, shaking his head.

"Never mind, never mind," he said, waving the words away. "Kisuke, I have called you here to be tutor to these two new students, as per demand by Shiba-san; Ichigo Kurosaki and Kaien Shiba." Kisuke, nodding, turned to the both of them, who stood up immediately. The blonde's eyebrow rose slightly as he looked at the two of them. If he didn't know any better, he would say they were siblings. The first, younger-looking guy had black hair and an ecstatic grin on his face. The other, older-looking, had bright orange hair and a stubborn scowl on his face. However, the two looked very similar, it was almost scary. Isshin, noticing this, quickly stood up and laughed.

"No, they're not brothers, Uruhara-san," Isshin said, chuckling as he placed both of his hands on the young men's shoulders. "Ichigo and Kaien are cousins; they just look a lot alike. Kaien, though, is Shiba through and through, while Ichigo here," he said, squeezing the orange-haired boy's shoulder tightly, "is a bit more…well, let's say special."

Kisuke nodded, smirking at the trio. "Got it. Well then, Ichigo, Kaien, if you will follow me now, I'll show you around the academy."

Ichigo and Kaien nodded slowly, following slowly behind the blonde student, who led them out into the hall. Kisuke grinned to the two of them, however his thoughts began to revert back to Ichigo's previous responses. Why had he acted like that? Did the orange-haired student know Kisuke from somewhere? The blonde certainly would've remembered meeting someone like Ichigo, especially now that Kisuke was able to notice the two large Zanpakuto swung over his shoulders. Never had Kisuke met someone with such large blades, in the academy or throughout the Seireitei.

Something told him this next year was going to be very interesting.


	6. Chap 6: Shinigami Classes

Bored.

Bored was what Ichigo felt as he sat in the back of his current Shinigami class; History. He was tired of school to begin with, and all Historical and Social Science classes really just added to his annoyance. Whenever he had been in a History class while he had been living, the teachers had either been so dry that some students even brought pillows to school for their lectures, or were so excited about historical findings and discoveries that they would try to force their excitement upon their innocent victims—I mean, students.

Add to that the fact that all Shinigami History basically just circulated around the actions of the four Nobel Clans over the two-thousand years the Gotei 13 had been established, and it was no surprise that within the first few minutes of the class, Ichigo's head had slowly descended further and further down until it now came to rest on the desk before him. His eyes drooped, his consciousness waning with every word the Shinigami instructor at the front of the classroom spoke.

"I can't believe we need to learn this to become Shinigami," Ichigo muttered softly to himself, his head still planted firmly on the surface of the desk. He assumed he muttered it soft enough not to be heard, but apparently he was wrong, as the person sitting on his right shifted in their seat slightly.

"Well, if we didn't learn about the past, we wouldn't know what mistakes we made in the past, and then we'd never be able to progress and to grow." Ichigo smirked as the girl's words slid over him and slowly he sat back up and turned to her. The girl appeared about his age and had deep blue-black hair that was tied back into two braids down her back. She wore a large pair of circular glasses on her face, and her hazel eyes shot the orange-haired before her a look that plainly stated 'what are you, an idiot?'

Ichigo smirked and shook his head, looking away from the girl and over to the teacher at the front of the classroom. "Well, that does make sense, but let's be serious here. That ideal of learning from the past, on such a large scale as with the Gotei 13, is only found in a perfect world. A lot of the squad captains are either too stubborn or prideful to listen to reason and admit their mistakes, and the others who aren't are either too humble or timid to speak up, or feel that following their traditions is more important than anything else in the world."

The Shinigami Student beside Ichigo sat absolutely still, his words hitting her hard. "H-how can you say that?!" she asked in indignation and worry. A few heads in front of them turned towards the pair, but Ichigo ignored them. He simply turned to the navy-blue haired girl and let one of his trademark scowls grow onto his face.

"I say it because I've heard it before; Shinigami being punished because of what they have done in the past. Things that were actually good, but were done in ways that went against, or even just almost against, the laws and regulations of the Gotei 13. If people followed what they believed was just and good in their hearts and not just blindly followed the government, things might end better for everyone."

Again the girl stood shocked by what Ichigo was saying. "Are you then saying that the Gotei 13 and Central 46are corrupt?" she asked, sending him a glare. Much to her surprise, though, Ichigo shook his head.

"Not at all, it's just that the leaders right now are too scared to think for themselves." He paused, trying to explain it best. For a fraction of a second, his mind grasped an image of a face, and he smiled. "Imagine that someone…went to the human world, and while there ran into a Hollow that was attacking a very spiritually-strong family. Now, of course, that Shinigami would try to kill the Hollow before real damage could be done, but what if someone, like a son in that family, tried to help, and save his siblings. And the Shinigami, already weakened by the Hollow's attacks, agrees to temporarily hand over his powers so the other individual can save his family, only to find the powers completely and permanently bound to that individual's soul, making the Shinigami powerless. What would you do to that Shinigami?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the girl asked, frowning. "Help him regain his powers without harming either of them. After all, neither person is in the wrong. They did what they believed was right?" Ichigo smiled at the girl's words, and for a second a very Gin-like look appeared on his face.

"True. But what if the Captains ruled that the Shinigami was guilty of treachery, abandoning his post as a Shinigami, and should therefore be executed, and the Substitute Shinigami, killed." The girl's eyes widened, but she shook her head and glared up into Ichigo's deep brown eyes.

"The Gotei 13 wouldn't make as ridiculous a decision as that!" Ichigo sighed, shaking his head.

"You may say that, but I've seen it before, as well as other incidents like it. And what is worse is that while those decisions were being made, there were some Captains in those meetings who had concerns and objections about the sentences made, but only voiced or admitted their opinions after the punishment was already set in motion." Ichigo sighed again, staring down at his hands, his mind slipping back to a certain black-haired girl. "If even one of them had voiced their thoughts, put up a fight, anything, the whole endeavor could have been avoided. Instead, the repercussions of the punishment shook the Soul Society and all the other Realms forever."

The girl stared at Ichigo for a while, his words still ringing in her head. What he stated…it sounded as though he had experienced it himself, first hand. Which would make sense why he would see the Gotei 13 and Central 46 like that, blindly following tradition and rules.

However, during their discussion, neither of the two students had noticed that the focus of everyone else's attention and shifted to the two of them in the back. As had the teacher's, who was known for having a very short patience when it came to students talking in his classroom. And currently, said teacher was behind both Ichigo and the other student, glaring darkly at the two of them. Finally, after a few seconds, Ichigo noticed the stares, and slowly turned back towards the stark and stony face of HitokenkyūBōdaieichi. The teacher gave both students a glare that could freeze the sun and twisted his mouth into a bitter scowl.

"While the topic the two of you are discussing is so enthralling," he said, almost spitting the word onto their desks, "it is currently getting in the way of my lecture, which you have completely ignored. So, as punishment, you both are to write a five-page essay on the existence of Quincies and their connection to the Shinigami and Hollows, due tomorrow morning." Grinning wickedly at the two astonished and petrified students before him, Bōdaieichi turned away and walked back to his spot at the front of the class, just as the bell was ringing. "And for the rest of you, read Chapter Fifteen in your textbooks by next session. That is all."

Ichigo groaned, leaning forward on the desk for a moment before grabbing his things. "Fricking great," he muttered, shaking his head. The blue-haired girl nodded, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose nervously. Sighing, Ichigo turned to her and smirked. "Well, let's see if I can't somehow screw the rest of my day up. See ya." He shot the girl a smile and turned back down the steps to the classroom door. The girl nodded, watching him go, and then suddenly stepped forward.

"Wait!" Ichigo paused, looking back at her. The girl paused, smiling, and held out her hand. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Lisa Yadōmaru."

Ichigo looked at the outstretched hand for a moment, before smiling and gripping it firmly with his own. "Kurosaki. Ichigo Kurosaki."

* * *

While Ichigo's day was slowly spiraling into less than friendly waters, Kaien's, he could happily say, was going along quite nicely. His first class of the day had been Zanjutsu Studies, learning the ways and mastery of one's Zanpakuto. The class had held many upper classmen who were slowly gaining their Zanpakuto, and even one who already had access to his Shikai, and was attempting to push further. The teachers didn't teach so much about actually reaching that level though, their focus remaining mostly on teaching the young Shinigami-to-be how to enter their Inner Worlds, communicate with their Zanpakutos, and form a bond with the spirits within them. All in all, it had been an interesting class, and made the young Shiba boy eager for the rest of his day.

He was not disappointed, either. The very next class on his list was Kidō Training, an area the black-haired Shinigami Student was already advancing in quite nicely. The Shibas were a proud family that was masters of Kidō, and Kaien had turned out no different than the others in his family. Some even said he could be better than a Kidō Corps Commander someday, if he worked hard enough at it.

So, it was no surprise that, before the class was half over, Kaien had easily become the best in the class, as well as possibly too eager to show his talents than was normally necessary.

"Now then," the Kidō Instructor, Jimina Tejinaji, stated from the center of the field, brushing some of his black hair out of his face as a soft wind blew by, "we shall now begin the second half of the class period practicing and demonstrating to one-another the forms of Kidō you have learned today, starting with Hadō 31; Shakkahō. Who would like to volunteer first?"

Almost immediately Kaien's arm shot up, the force it carried enough to knock one of the students beside him off balance without even touching him. "Tejinaji-sensei, I'd like to—"

"Thank you, Shiba-san," the older Shinigami said, smiling sagely, "but perhaps we should let some of the other students have a turn." Kaien sighed and slowly lowered his arm, nodding to his teacher. Jimina nodded and turned to the rest of the crowd, where no one else was volunteering. "All right then, if there no volunteers, I shall just pick the victims myself."

The entire crowd winced as Tejinaji once again addressed them with his oh-so gentle bluntness. The dark-haired Shinigami's silver eyes surveyed the group, a small smile on his lips as he noticed them shivering under his dark gaze. Finally, after a short while, the teacher nodded to a few different students; one with deep blue hair, darkish skin, and strange yellow eyes; another with black hair and a very cocky grin on his face; a few middle-class students who didn't really stand out; and then, finally, a young woman with deep black hair and soft, fair skin. Kaien looked over at the girl for quite a few moments. He had to admit, she was fairly attractive, and definitely caught his attention more than the guys beside her, especially the two creeps at the end that were grinning darkly as they began the incantation softly under their breath.

"You may begin," Tejinaji finally said.

It was like watching a fireworks display in the middle of the day. The first student threw his sphere of red energy and it sailed forward, sending one of the targets up in smoke. The three beside him fired off Shakkahōs that landed perfectly in the center as well, and the three beside them shot fiery balls of death that nicked the edges of the targets around them. Finally, it came down to the girl at the end. Slowly, she extended her right arm and began the incantation.

"_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"_ She took a deep breath, trying to relax herself further, and continued. "Hadō 31; Shakkahō!"

Instead of a red sphere of death careening from her hands, though, there was a fairly large explosion. The smoke filled the training area, and the students around her jumped back, coughing deeply. Tejinaji stepped out to the front of the class again, watching the smoke dissipate until a much sootier female Shinigami Student appeared in the spot of the explosion.

"Well, that didn't go very well, now did it?" he asked calmly, raising an eyebrow. The girl nodded. "Perhaps you could use further instruction on the spell before you can use it, Kokuran-chan. Shiba-san," he called, the black-haired boy's head shooting up, "can I have you help this young lady out a bit with her spells?"

Kaien nodded swiftly. "Got it, Tejinaji-sensei!" Smiling, he walked over to the girl and placed a soft hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from the group towards a smaller area of the training field. The black-haired girl looked up at him with strange timidness and shyly smiled.

"Thank you for this, Shiba-san." Kaien nodded, smiling.

"No problem, miss. But please, call me Kaien. It's what all my friends call me." The girl nodded, slowly allowing her smile to grow wider. After a minute or two, she held out her soft, small hand and gave him a very warm smile.

"Hello, Kaien. I'm Miyako Kokuran."


	7. Chap 7: The Tutor's Partner

Kisuke found himself stretched out on the hot, shingled roof, the bright afternoon sun baking down on him and pulling him closer to sleep. Not that he put up much of a fight, though. His Hakuda and Hohō classes had been absolute bores, not much competition these days anymore. The most excitement he'd gotten was at the beginning of Kidō class when Keihaku Akaihoshi, a third-year student with a _quite_ attractive body, burst into the classroom late, her clothes barely thrown on before running to class. The entire male-half of the class, and even some females, fainted from nosebleeds, Kisuke barely hanging on as the disheveled girl stuttered an apology to the teacher and ran to her seat.

Other than that, the day had been mostly bland. Meaning, for once, the blonde-haired young man could sit back and relax. Sighing deeply, Kisuke slowly closed his eyes and relinquished himself to sleep's powers.

"KISUKE YOU IDIOT!"

Before Kisuke could even mutter a confused 'huh?', the blonde student felt a powerful foot lodge itself in his side, knocking him across the roof and down into one of the practice and training fields. Groaning, Kisuke pulled himself up to his feet and looked up at his assailant. When he saw him, or should I say her, his face darkened slightly.

"Damn it, Yoruichi," he muttered, glaring up at the dark-skinned girl, "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!"

Yoruichi shot her childhood friend an equally dark glare, folding her arms across her chest. "You know just what that was for, Kisuke!" she growled, jumping off of the shingled roof and suddenly appearing beside him. "You promised me that we would spar yesterday after class was over, but when I got to the training field, you were nowhere to be seen! I looked like a fricking idiot, standing out there all alone, like some sad girl who had been stood up on a date! I swear, Kisuke, you are in for the beating of a lifetime!"

Kisuke jumped back, just barely dodging another powerful kick from Yoruichi, and raised his hands in defense and innocence. "Hey, hey, hey! I-I can explain, Yorui—"

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, snapping her leg back and slamming him across the practice field and into one of the walls of the academy. In a flash, she was at him again, fist pulled back as she readied a deadly punch. "You stood me up for training! I'm gonna make it hurt you hear me?! I'm gonna—"

Kisuke's hand shot out and gripped Yoruichi's wrist firmly, stopping her on a dime. He slowly turned his gaze to the Shihōin Princess and let go of her, his glare freezing her. "Yoruichi," he said, in a tone the girl recognized as his deadly-serious voice, "I couldn't spar with you yesterday because Kiseki-sensei asked me to give a few new students a tour around the academy so they could get a better understanding of the school, and not be so scared when they started taking the classes today. Also I can't spar with you today because Kiseki-sensei also wants me to tutor the two of them, because apparently I'm the only student who can handle it without floundering with his own classes."

Yoruichi frowned, but gave a slight sigh as she pulled her wrist from Kisuke's grip. "So, you're teaching some newbies the ropes, Kisuke?" A sly smile slowly found its way onto her face, and she turned back to her childhood friend. "I didn't know you were mature enough to handle something as big as that. Maybe my little Kisuke's getting all grown up after all!"

The blonde instantly gave the purple-haired beauty the reaction she had been hoping for; an annoyed glare and slight splutter in his voice. "Sc-screw you, Yoruichi!" he finally said, glaring intensely at the ground. "I'm mature enough to handle this. Heck, I'm older than you, and taller than you too! How am I 'your' little Kisuke?!"

"Well, your reaction tells me otherwise, li'l Kisuke," Yoruichi replied, laughing brightly at her friend. Ignoring his dark glares, she turned away and began towards the academy doors. "Well, if you aren't gonna spar with me, then I guess I'll just head back to my dorm. After all, I still have a lot of work I have to do."

Kisuke sighed, shaking his head. "Well, you could stay and help me teach them. You _are_ the best Hohō and Hakuda user on campus besides Ryūokōtei-sensei!"

"What?!" Yoruichi asked in surprise, whirling around in a flash. "You seriously want me to help you teach some idiot newbies, Kisuke?" She laughed so hard that her whole body was shaking. "I'll start helping you teach Shinigami skills to others the same day you get thrown out of Gotei 13!"

Quickly Kisuke's face fell, and he stared at the ground with such pain he looked as though he _had_ taken a beating from Yoruichi. "Isn't there anything that can make you change your mind, Yoruichi?" The dark-skinned woman shook her head, smiling at the pained blonde.

"Nope. Not a chance." She stopped however, placing a contemplative finger against her chin. "Well…if they were cute guys, then maybe I would help you out, but if not then you're sunk." Kisuke groaned in defeat and annoyance, then slowly looked up towards the doors to the academy, which were opening as two figures walked out.

"Well I guess the only way you'll know is if you turn around right now."

Yoruichi frowned in slight confusion and turned around sharply again. And instantly her mind went blank. Walking right towards her and Kisuke were two nearly-identical young men, both looking about as old as Kisuke. However, she barely noticed the slightly-younger one, black-haired and a bit tense; instead, all of her focus was directed to the taller, older-looking student with bright orange hair, calm, powerful brown eyes, and two six-foot-long blades he had strapped across his back. He gave her a soft, slender glance, and a small tremor ran through Yoruichi's body. And then, in a second, he turned away, and she gasped, her heart racing.

_Wha-what was that?_ She asked herself softly, eyes wide. _I've never reacted like that when a guy looked at me! Wha-what's happening?!_ Yoruichi was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the object of her thoughts had walked away from her and stepped up to Kisuke.

"Hey, Uruhara-senpai, what's up with Shihōin-san?" Ichigo asked, looking over at the dark-skinned princess. The blonde shrugged, scratching the back of his head casually.

"Not really sure, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke said, frowning, "she's not normally like this…"

Suddenly, Yoruichi spun around, smiling. "Sorry, got a little distracted there!" Beaming, she held out her hand to Ichigo and shook his firmly. "Hi, I'm Yoruichi Shihōin, your new Hohō and Hakuda tutor! I'll teach you everything about close combat and shunpo!" _And, if I'm lucky, maybe I'll teach you some 'other' skills,_ she thought silently, her mind finished with being in shock, and moving on to her usual perverted neko antics. Kisuke chuckled at his friend and smiled at the sky.

Oh yes, this year was going to be very fun. Turning back to the other three students, he smirked and clapped his hands. "All right, to start, let's see how good the two of you really are. Kaien, I want you to show me your Kidō skills, and don't hold back! Meanwhile, Ichigo, you'll test your Hohō and Hakuda skills by facing Yoruichi in a bout." Ichigo scowled, nodding sharply.

"All right, let's do this." he replied, sighing. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow to her new student, a wry smile worming its way onto her face.

"Oh, so confident, are you?" she asked, smirking at the young man. Both Kisuke and Kaien paled, deciding then to escape to a far corner of the training field to start practicing. "You honestly think you can beat me; Yoruichi Shihōin, the heiress of the Shihōin Clan, known to be the 'Lightning Fast Clan'?"

Much to her surprise, the orange-haired student shook his head, a small smirk on his face. "No, but I know that I can at least test myself best against someone who won't hold back in the least," he said, getting into a ready stance. "After all, I plan on hitting you with everything I've got."

Yoruichi smiled, nodding. "Good. Because you'll need it." In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Ichigo grimaced and spun around, just fast enough to catch the dark-skinned girl's leg as it shot out at him. With a sudden twist of his hands, Yoruichi was flipped out of his hands and sent spiraling back to the ground. Quickly, he jumped back, just as Yoruichi spun back onto her hands and kicked out at the space Ichigo had been standing in. Smirking, the purple-haired vixen landed back onto her feet and launched herself back at her student, sending out whirling punches and kicks that he could barely block, and slowly pushing him further and further back. Grimacing again, Ichigo spun out of her reach and to her side.

_Okay, this wasn't a good idea after all, _Ichigo thought to himself, jumping back as Yoruichi's leg swung out again, this time catching him in the stomach and throwing him back several feet.

**Well, Kingy,** his inner Hollow snickered, **maybe if you stopped being such a wuss and fought back a bit, this might not be going half as bad as it is right now!** Ichigo growled at his Hollow's words, dodging another flurry of attacks. **Hell, you've trained with this chick before, when she was better, and you're still getting the beating of a lifetime! Grow a pair, idiot, and fight back!**

_Hichigo, shut UP!_ Ichigo shouted back in his mind. However, the Hollow had done Ichigo some good; he'd lit a fire in his heart. Smirking, he saw Yoruichi's leg swinging out at him again. Quickly, he spun his hand out, catching her kick again, but this time, brought up his own leg to her now unprotected side, knocking her back in pain.

"My turn, 'kitten'!" he said, another small smirk forming on his face. Yoruichi glared back at him, silently wondering how he knew of her transformation power, but quickly grinned.

"We'll see about that, Ichigo!" she shouted, spinning at him again. Ichigo smirked and spun under another series of her kicks, suddenly appearing right in her face. Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock, and quickly she began to draw back her attacks. It wasn't fast enough, though, as her orange-haired assailant threw a series of punches into her chest and then finishing off with a powerful kick that sent her flipping across the field. She finally fell face-first, groaning as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. Ichigo only smirked, suddenly appearing behind her and putting his weight on her back and gripping her wrists firmly from behind her.

"Finished teaching me, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked, looking at the woman who would someday be known as the Goddess of Flash. Her response was instantly flipping the young man off her back and pinning him against the ground. His eyes widened in shock as he stared up into the bright amber-colored eyes of his teacher, a well-known flirty smile growing on her face.

"Oh Ichigo, the lesson has only begun," she whispered, laughing.

* * *

Soft footsteps followed behind Sōsuke Aizen everywhere he went, a small, tired smile brushed across his face. It had been a long day at the academy, with the several hundred students that had decided to take his calligraphy class, and after eight hours of answering questions and teaching the same lesson over and over, he was ready for a good, long rest back at the Fifth Division's barracks. So, why wasn't he there already?

The answer was the new students who had arrived at the school late the day before. From what Aizen had heard from Kiseki, these new students were very skilled youths, and were ready to learn from anyone they could meet. Eager and powerful; it made Aizen smile. Those were the two requirements he needed in the perfect pawns.

It was exactly that reason that he had decided not to leave the instant he could, shunpoing all the way to the barracks. He needed to see these new students himself, to tell if they truly were the kind of recruits he would be needing. Hopefully, he would get an answer he was looking for.

The brown-haired man finally came to a stop outside of the doors of a large training field, the sounds of conflict reaching his ears. He paused and stepped out into the field it was coming from. Standing in the field were four academy students, three men and one woman, each practicing their skills. On one side of the practice field, a blonde Aizen knew as Kisuke Uruhara was standing back, a small smile on his face as another student with black hair and Shiba Clan-features showed off his skills in Kidō. On the other side, a young man who looked much like the Shiba boy, but with orange hair, was running across the ground and walls, desperately protecting himself from Yoruichi Shihōin's vicious attacks.

Aizen smirked. They were obviously skilled young men. The black-haired boy was using Kidō into the forties without incantations and still leaving a fairly strong effect on the targets. And the orange-haired young man was obviously well trained as well, probably holding back so he wouldn't harm the Shihōin princess. If the two young men got a little more training, they could be perfect pawns.

"Perhaps I should give them a little test," Aizen muttered to himself silently as he slipped back into the shadows.


	8. Chap 8: Academy in Chaos

"…and that concludes our discussion for the day. Please remember to read Chapter 43 in your textbooks tonight, ready to answer any questions on the content tomorrow." The wizened Shinigami professor smiled at the class before him and slammed the large textbook he had on his desk shut. "You are dismissed."

The words had barely left the old man's mouth when Ichigo bolted out of his seat, down the steps, and out the classroom door, quickly followed by Lisa, Kaien, and Miyako. The orange-haired student may have seemed a bit over-zealous to get out of the class, but who could blame him? The Shinigami Government class was an absolute bore, something Ichigo had learned his first day at the academy, now six months ago. His three black-haired friends agreed with him, each equally eager to leave class as soon as possible. In fact, the only person who had even taken notes today was Lisa, and even then she hadn't been that focused on the lecture.

Groaning, Ichigo finally eased down to a slow walk sighing softly. "Thank goodness that crap's over!" he exclaimed looking back to Kaien and Lisa. "I was afraid that if I listened to much more of that, I would have passed out from boredom!"

"Actually, you did, Ichigo-san," Lisa replied, a playful smile on her face, "several times, too! I had to hold you up by the back of your shirt so that Hanketsu-sensei couldn't find out you were asleep!"

"What?!" Ichigo shouted, staring at the glasses-wearing girl, then whipping his attention to his black-haired cousin. "Why didn't you say anything?! Either of you? Or you, Miyako-chan?" The black-haired trio smirked at his annoyance, but Kaien spoke up.

"Because, Ichigo, you're less annoying asleep than awake!" Ichigo glared at the Shiba and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him up to his eye level.

"What do you mean, annoying?"

"You're always complaining, Ichigo-san!" Lisa replied, smirking at her friend. "It's better for you to be asleep and barely be making any sounds at all than spending the whole class period groaning about how 'useless' and 'unimportant' everything you're learning is." Ichigo glared at the black-haired girl again and let go of his cousin, looking about ready to throw some pain down on the younger Konpaku.

"That's because it is, Lisa-chan!" Ichigo growled. Lisa only laughed and shook her head.

"Or maybe you're just too stupid to understand it, but won't admit it!"

Ichigo glared darkly at her and turned away. "Just shut up. Kaien," he said, turning his attention to the chuckling Shiba, who quickly recovered and nodded to him, "I'm heading to the training field. You coming?"

Kaien paused, looking at his friend for a moment, and then shook his head. "Eh, not right now, Ichigo," he replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I, um, promised Miyako-chan that I would help her with her Kidō studies, so we're gonna be in the library for most of the rest of the day." Miyako nodded and smiled faintly at Ichigo.

"I'm sorry for pulling your cousin away from you, Ichigo-kun, but I really need the help! I'm this close to passing the mid-term test, and if Kaien-san helps, I know I can pass it with flying colors!"

Kaien chuckled again, a slight blush on his face. "Um, I wouldn't say that, you'd do fine without me—" He paused, then smiled at the black-haired woman beside him. "—but I'm glad to help out when I can."

Instantly Miyako's face turned just as red as Kaien's, and quickly they looked away from each other in embarrassment. Ichigo stared at the two for a moment or two, and then smiled softly. His friends in his previous timeline might've thought he was dense as a cinder block, but that had never been the case. He could tell how Orihime and Rukia looked at him, but he had seen them just as sisters, and besides, others saw them as something much more than friends. Sighing, Ichigo turned away and began walking down the hall.

"Fine, go help Miyako-chan, Kaien. I'll just tell Kisuke-san and Yoruichi-san that you couldn't make it today, and go on with the rest of the training alone." Smiling, he nodded to his three black-haired friends and waved. "See ya later, guys."

Kaien nodded, shooting Ichigo's retreating form with a thankful grin, and pulled Miyako with him towards the Academy's library. Leaving Lisa alone. With a sigh, the glasses-wearing young girl turned back down the hall to the girl dorms towards her room. No point being out in the hall alone, with nothing to do, right? She had work from History and Government that still needed to be worked on, and a new magazine from _SWA Monthly_ that she had been dying to read. So much to do, so little time to do it…

Lisa was so caught up in her thoughts of the day that as she passed a window, she barely noticed the large crack forming in the sky above Academy and the large Hollows slowly crawling out of the murky darkness within it. When she did notice it, though, she turned around and ran back towards the training grounds.

* * *

"Concentrate a bit more, Ichigo! This isn't the wild, all-out style of fighting you used on Yoruichi; this is Kidō, and is more refined. You need to be more focused, and less furious in your attacks."

Ichigo nodded at the blonde man's words as the smoke from his newest mistake dissipated into the air. He ran a hand through his hair, wiping some of the soot away, and sighed. "You make it sound a lot easier than it is, Kisuke."

Kisuke sighed and stepped next to Ichigo, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well what's your problem again, Ichigo? I mean, the incantation is perfect, the stance is correct, and you've even learned how to channel your reiryoku smoother and cleaner than before. So what is the real problem?"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders lamely. "I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with my Zanpakuto?" As soon as he said those words, he heard his Hollowfied Zanpakuto cackle darkly.

**That'd do it, Kingy!** the Hollow laughed loudly. **After all, I'm a Hollow and Old Man over there's a Quincey, so really the brunt of your powers aren't even really Shinigami! Hell, I'm surprised you were even able to use the first twenty Bakudō and Hadō spells without blowing the three of us up!**

_**I agree with my darker associate, Ichigo,**_ the elder Zanpakuto said sadly, shaking his head, _**our powers were made for your Zanjutsu alone, allowing you a few Quincy powers and a large portion of Hollow powers. The fact that you can use Shinigami abilities at all is only due to the fact that your father was a Shinigami himself. Any progress with your Shinigami abilities is going to be an uphill fight for you, Ichigo.**_

Ichigo nodded at their words, then turned back to Kisuke. "Yeah, they agree with me. My Zanpakuto just can't use Kido easily without me putting more effort on my half than is necessarily safe." Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Sorry, but it looks like we may be stuck like this, with me fighting to learn Kidō, for a while longer."

Kisuke nodded, sighing. He was used to Ichigo speaking to his Zanpakuto often during their lessons, so it didn't surprise him that the orange-haired Shinigami student's swords would offer him an answer to his weakness with Kidō. "Oh well," the blonde said, sounding slightly defeated, "I suppose we can worry about that later, and move onto something else. Let's see, what else can we do…"

Before Kisuke could find an answer, Ichigo felt a strange tremor go through his body, and his senses sharpened slightly. His pupils narrowed, and quickly the strawberry-headed man grabbed both the handles of his Zanpakuto and turned slowly.

_What is this?_ he thought silently, turning again. There was something in the air, something that was itching away at him, sharpening his senses, and something about it was seriously ticking him off. _Hichigo, Old man, what's going on out here?_

**Damn it, Kingy!** his Hollow swore bitterly. **It's Hollow Bait! Because you're part Hollow, you're affected by it, too! This is bad, Kingy, not just because you're a victim of Hollow Bait, but because where there's Hollow Bait, there's gonna be Hollows!** Hichigo's older partner nodded solemnly from their world.

_**Yes, and with a concoction as potent as this one, I fear we are in for an invasion of catastrophic levels, perhaps even with Gillian or Adjuchas amongst their ranks.**_

Silently, Ichigo swore and clenched his eyes shut. _Okay, okay, slow down guys! How is there even Hollow Bait here anyway? And if there is Hollow Bait, where are the Hollows?_ The two Zanpakuto spirits were silent, but Ichigo's answer soon found him as the doors to the training field were flung out and Lisa burst out.

"Ichigo!" she exclaimed, "Run, there are Hollows in the Academy!" Not even a second later, five large Hollows landed with a loud crash on the roof above her, with three more on top of the walls that surrounded the practice field. The Hollows let out a bloodthirsty bellow and leapt forward, just as Ichigo and the others managed to pull out their Zanpakutos and get in ready battle stances. One thought flew through all their minds at the same exact moment, right before the Hollows began to attack.

_What the hell is going on here?_

* * *

"…is that right, Kaien-san?" Miyako asked softly, pushing her notebook to the black-haired young man. Kaien frowned and looked over the pale parchment, his brow bouncing between expressions of confusion, positivity, and negativity. Their little lesson on Miyako's Kidō had been pushed off until later that day, when the raven-haired woman and her prodigious young teacher weren't so tired, so instead they were studying for the disastrous History test that was leering over at them from the next week.

Finally, after a moment or two of reviewing, Kaien sighed and handed the notebook back to Miyako. "Well, you've got the foundation of the Gotei 13 down pretty much perfect, Miyako-chan, but when it comes to any of the wars that have happened, well…you're gonna need more time."

Miyako groaned softly, burying her head in her arms. "It's not fair, though!" she whined into the table. "How am I supposed to know all of those special dates and places where the wars took place, and all of those names of major war heroes and generals, on top of all of my other studies?! It's like Bōdaieichi-sensei doesn't even want us to pass the midterm, what with all of the crazy things that he's piling on with it!" With another groan, she looked over at Kaien for some pity.

Kaien sighed and shook his head. "Miyako-chan, don't worry. It's not that hard to learn that stuff if you just find a way to memorize it."

Miyako frowned and looked down at the textbooks before her. "What do you mean, Kaien-san?" Kaien smiled and picked up their notes.

"Maybe we should spend the next few hours trying to find a good system for you, and put it to use." Seeing the hopeful spark in the young girl's eyes, Kaien smiled and leaned back a bit. "Now then Miyako-chan, what do you think would be the best system to help you learn this?" Miyako smiled and began to speak.

"HOLLOWS!"

Kaien and Miyako shot up, looking over towards the doors to the library. Standing there with a mask of fear on his face was Tejinaji, the Kidō Instructor. The older man ran down the steps into the library, one hand on his Zanpakuto, the other thrust behind him as he raised a large barrier over the doors. Coming to an abrupt stop, he groaned and turned to the students. Frowning, Kaien ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Tejinaji-sensei, what's wrong?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of slamming fists and slashing claws cut through the silent library from outside the library doors. Miyako looked at the library window, and gasped as the large white mask of a snake-like Hollow appeared behind the glass panes.

"Hollows…" she said softly, looking over at Kaien and Tejinaji. The Kidō teacher nodded weakly, pushing himself back up to his full height.

"Yes, Hollows. We don't know how, but a Garganta formed above the school and unleashed several dozen Hollows. It's the largest outbreak of Hollows within the Seireitei in hundreds of years. Kiseki-sama has sent a Hell Butterfly to Head Captain Yamamoto to send us some help, but it could take a while to get a response."

"So, what do we do now?" Miyako asked, frowning up at the slamming fists on the doors and the maniacal grins behind the windows. Tejinaji sighed and pulled out his sword.

"Hunker down, fight the Hollows if they attack, and hope for a miracle."

* * *

Aizen smirked from his spot on academy roof. The Hollows were doing as much damage as he expected they would. The larger beasts were slashing through dorms, chasing after the students left and right. He wasn't keeping track of how many souls had fallen, but he was certain it was enough that the Shinigami would be coming soon. He would need to make himself scarce, and soon. Before he left, though, he turned towards the large Vasto Lorde behind him.

"Well, Bōkunajū," he said, smirking at the black-scaled demon, "are the Hollows you sent testing the Shiba and Kurosaki boys well?" The beast grinned darkly, revealing the three rows of ivory-colored razor fangs in his mouth. He stepped right beside the brown-haired Shinigami and leered down at the Hollows and Shinigami running around.

"Oh, they will be well tesssted, Aizzzen-dono," the demon hissed, smirking darkly. "My sssubordinatesss are tesssting the two of them theirssselvesss. They may kill the ssstudentsss, but if they die, then they weren't worth your time, my lord."

Aizen nodded, smirking darkly at the Hollow's words. "Thank you, Bōkunajū. You may return to Hueco Mundo now. I have need of you still, my dark friend." The beast hissed a horrid laugh at Aizen's words and nodded, spreading his two enormous, leathery wings.

"Very well, Aizzzen-dono, until nexxxt time." With a flap of wings, the beast disappeared back into the Garganta and away from the chaos that had enveloped the Academy. Aizen smirked coolly up at the tear in space, and then turned away, walking the length of the roof, before shunpo-ing back to the Fifth Division barracks.

Everything was going according to plan.


	9. Chap 9: A Lost Name

Ichigo jumped back as the Hollow's enormous fist came wailing down at the spot he had previously standing in, the earth shattering from the force of the blow. The orange-haired Shinigami-to-be grimaced as shards of rock and earth were sent his way, and swung his right arm down in a fluid slash at the Hollow's arm. The monster roared in pain as its severed arm fell to the earth limply, but the fish-face just shook it off and leered at Ichigo, swinging his other arm up to grab him.

"Damn it," Ichigo muttered, quickly using a shunpo to jump from the Hollow's grasp and onto its back. Scowling, he swung his two swords quickly, slicing the Hollow cleanly in half, and then made a rapid flip onto the battlefield below. He just barely had enough time to touch the ground before another one of the Hollows, this time one with a face like a large mantis, with six scythe-like arms to match, suddenly turned its head towards him and launched itself forward, blades whistling. Ichigo glared and gripped both swords tightly, spinning at a wicked speed as he slashed away the blades of the Hollow and knocking it away roughly. Grimacing again, he held the swords carefully and stepped back.

**Just how many of these fricking Hollows are there?!** Hichigo shouted, gritting his teeth angrily. Ichigo, too, was growing tired of all of this. He and the others had been stuck outside in the battlefield for half an hour now, and from the first eight that had shown up at the beginning, seven had been killed, only to have each one replaced by probably two or three just as powerful as the last ones. And of those new ones…Ichigo had lost track after that, but he was certain the amount had been tremendous, because the clearing was now filled with the horrific beasts.

All of them hungrily staring down at the four young Shinigami students.

Ichigo grimaced as another two of the demonic Hollows lunged at him, and as he knocked them away, he looked over at the others. To be honest, the four of them were doing well, though he could tell all three of his comrades were running on empty now. Kisuke was handling the Hollows best, slashing away at the intruding claws and fangs that came at him from almost every angle, and firing off Kidō spell after Kidō spell into the faces of the attackers. The entire time, he managed to keep his calm, albeit creepy grin that he almost seemed to wear as often as Ichigo his scowl. Yet, Ichigo could see the sweat running down his forehead and back of his neck, as well as the blood that was running down the lengths of his arms and legs where a few Hollows had gotten too close for comfort.

Ichigo next looked over to the second member of their group; Yoruichi. The Goddess of the Flash may have been younger and more inexperienced than the shapely woman that Ichigo had first known in his original timeline, but she was not going to give up easily. The crazy neko had been dashing around the training field the entire time, using as fast a shunpo as she could, getting in as many slashes, kicks, or punches on the Hollows as possible. Ichigo smiled as one of the larger fish-faced Hollows got a deadly kick right to the face, crushing the mask and the face behind it. Despite the fact that she was quickly growing fatigued, the Shihōin Princess was managing to do more damage than anyone else, and just kept heaping up the damage.

Last, Ichigo turned to Lisa, and instantly his scowl returned. The young woman had been faring extraordinarily well for her first battle against Hollows, but even Ichigo could see that she wouldn't last much longer in this fight. Though she was fighting off most of the large Hollows well, several of the smaller ones had found a way past her defenses and had landed several terrible injuries on her body. Ichigo could barely tell if the red patches on her clothes were from her uniform anymore, or from the blood that was quickly turning her arms and legs a deep crimson. Luckily, her Kidō was strong enough to handle most of the other Hollows as well, but even that wouldn't last much longer.

_Crap,_ Ichigo muttered in his head, spinning on the ball of his foot and slamming a solid kick into the neck of an attacking Hollow, knocking the wind out of it and breaking any bones in its neck. _If this keeps up, we might as well just throw our swords on the ground and let these things eat us now! There's no chance that we can beat them if it's just the four of us!_

**Hey, don't go saying things like that, Kingy!** Ichigo's Hollow shouted angrily, just as the orange-haired Shinigami sliced the head off of the Hollow he had just winded. **We can last a lot longer than these Hollows can! Just let me out and—**

_No! _Ichigo shouted in his mind. _Not yet, Hichigo! I'm not gonna use those powers just yet! There has to be something else we can do! Besides, if I use it and we survive, then I'll be forced to an execution or something like that, and then everything we've done will be wasted! We need to take this carefully, okay?_

His Hollow growled angrily at him but said nothing further. Ichigo nodded firmly to his Hollow and turned back to the others, just in time to see a large snake-like Hollow aiming right at Lisa from behind. The ex-Substitute Shinigami's eyes widened in fear and quickly, acting purely on instinct, he threw his right arm out and felt reiryoku flowing to his finger tips.

"LISA, LOOK OUT!" Ichigo shouted. The green-eyed girl had just enough time to turn around and widen her eyes in fear before the Hollow roared in rage and coiled its neck back to strike. "HADŌ NUMBER 31! SHAKKAHŌ!" Instantly a huge ball of crimson energy formed at the tips of Ichigo's fingers and launched itself right at the Hollow. The beast had just a second to turn its yellow, slit-like eyes towards Ichigo's attack before the sphere hit it dead-on in a massive explosion. The Hollow's shriek of pain cut high into the heavens as its body disintegrated into ash, and Ichigo quickly ran to Lisa's side as soon as the smoke settled.

"You all right, Lisa?" Ichigo asked softly, pulling the girl up to her feet. Lisa nodded, looking a little bit shell-shocked, but otherwise fine.

"Y-yeah," she muttered, gripping her Zanpakuto tightly in both hands. Ichigo nodded firmly to her and turned around sharply, both of his six-foot-long blades held firmly out in front of him. The two stood back to back, watching the prowling Hollows around them. Lisa grimaced at them and gripped her Zanpakuto a little tighter.

"Why haven't they attacked yet?" she muttered, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose nervously. Almost as soon as she asked it, the three Hollows circling them charged, jaws widened to the maximum size. Ichigo glared, shoving one of his swords down a Hollow's throat and slicing its head off from the inside out.

"Great, you just had to ask it, didn't you Lisa?" Ichigo muttered, twisting his other arm quickly as another Hollow lunged at them. The result was his Zanpakuto stabbing perfectly in the center of the Hollow's mask, shattering it and its soul in one fluid motion. The black-haired girl just rolled her eyes as she flipped onto the back of a ram-like Hollow and sliced its head off of its shoulders, jumping back onto the ground as its body disintegrated into dust. She grinned at Ichigo as a few more beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

"Just…shut up…strawberry…" Lisa said, chuckling. Ichigo grimaced, a sharp pain in his back returning from when Tatsuki and the others would call him that annoying nickname. Quickly, he shook it off and spun around, slicing a Hollow's mask in half as it's wearer rose up behind Lisa, the bloodlust clear in its gaze up until it died. The Hollows grinned eagerly at Ichigo and lunged at him from every angle.

"Never call me strawberry, Lisa-chan!" Ichigo shouted, spinning around rapidly as the Hollows drew closer, slicing each one down with ease. "Just Ichigo will be fine, okay?" he asked as he came to a stop, the black dust from the Hollows swirling around him slowly, giving him a look like a dark, powerful warrior.

Lisa nodded slowly, a strange blush growing on her face. "Y-yeah," Lisa muttered, feeling light-headed suddenly, and most-likely not from the blood-loss.

**Whoa, Kingy, looks like you've got yerself a girl, my friend! Finally, and here I was starting to think all this time that you were gay! Do you know how to pick em, though man? This girl, man, she is fiiine! Hope you don't mind if I try and take over sometime so I can have her for myself!** Ichigo glared inwardly at his Hollow and reminded himself the next time he went back into his Inner World, he would kick that pale-faced idiot's butt for every crass and crude joke he had ever said about Ichigo or his friends.

_Shut up idiot, we're just friends, okay?_ The Hollow smirked at this and shook his head.

**Whatever you say, Kingy!**

Ichigo groaned at his Hollow and turned back to Lisa, who was still blushing brightly. Quickly, he smiled at her, then quickly turned around. In the few moments they had been fighting the Hollows, most of the smarter Hollows had turned tail and ran off. The only Hollows still around was Mantis-face, which Ichigo recognized now as an Adjuchas, who was sitting atop the Academy roof, watching the fight with interest but not actually joining, and about one or one-and-a-half dozen garden-variety Hollows that were leaping around Kisuke and Yoruichi, trying to get a good shot at either of them. Kisuke seemed to be faring well, even after all the fighting he had been going through, but the Shihōin Princess, on the other hand, was looking worse than Ichigo had ever seen her before.

"Hang on guys, we're coming!" Ichigo shouted, gripping his blades tightly. It was then that Mantis-face decided to make his move. Leering darkly, the huge Adjuchas leapt off the building and right into the middle of the Hollows, his scythes slicing through the air. Kisuke was blown back by the force of the attack and was thrown into a wall. The blonde fell to the ground, unconscious but alive, but Yoruichi was worse. She was surrounded by Hollows now, the smaller ones forming a ring around her and Mantis-face as the enormous Hollow began to slice away at her.

"You…damn…Hollow…" Yoruichi managed to say before the first few blades slashed out at her. She tried to block them, but her Zanpakuto was knocked out of her hand and sent sailing over the Hollows and into the side of a building. Ichigo grimaced, his eyes wide as he watched the horror take place before him. The Hollow stood tall and raised all three of its right arms up, a dubious glint in its eyes. Lisa, beside Ichigo, screamed in fear, and gripping her Zanpakuto tightly, lunged at the wall of Hollows. Ichigo just stood frozen in fear as the scythes descended, about to tear Yoruichi apart. Yoruichi, his friend, teacher, comrade, partner…

And then, suddenly, the arms froze.

Ichigo's eyes widened. Everything had frozen in place. The faces on the Hollow's masks, the breeze in the trees, Lisa's look of torture as she ran at the Hollows. Everything was frozen…as though time had stopped.

"_**Ichigo**_,"a low voice from behind the Shinigami called. Ichigo instantly turned around, both blades held tightly. He relaxed, slightly, when he saw both of his Zanpakuto spirits looking back at him, sad smiles on their faces. The elder Zanpakuto stepped forward, looking over the scene before him in a look of pity and heartache.

"_**Ichigo,**_" the sword said again, frowning, "_**we have helped you protect those that you love and care for several times over the few years that we have been united. And now, we have a chance to return to that. You have something worth fighting for here.**_" The sword looked over at the fearful look on Yoruichi's face. "_**You have friends here, family, and possibly even lovers.**_" Ichigo's eyes would have widened had anyone but his Zanpakuto said that to him, but the orange-haired boy kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the horrible scene before him. "_**Tell me, Ichigo; do you want to protect everyone here, everyone who you have stood beside today? Do you want the power to protect everyone again? Or are you just going to sit back as Yoruichi is forced into this horrible sentence that the universe has decided for her?**_"

Ichigo's eyes flared as the sword said those words, and he visibly shook with anger. "No! I won't do that! I will fight to protect Yoruichi, and Kisuke, and everyone, even if it means giving up my life for them!"

"**Then call us by our name, Kingy!**" the Hollowfied Zanpakuto hissed, smirking at his king. As soon as the words left the Hollow's mouth, Ichigo felt it. A curtain rising at the back of his mind, and a familiar reiatsu returning to his body, making his whole frame humming with strength and energy. Ichigo closed his eyes slowly, a small smile on his face as he held his swords out in front of him and said the words he hadn't said since his first battle with Kisuke almost three years ago.

"Cast off your fear, Zangetsu."


	10. Chap 10: Zangetsu Returns

Yoruichi Shihōin was the eldest daughter in the Shihōin Clan, and slated to be the next clan head and leader of the Onmitsukidō. She was a woman trained to handle the most severe of situations, raised to be level-headed and fearless. Her skills as an assassin had been sharpened to near-perfection before she had even attended the Shinō Academy, and her abilities only continued to grow in power and intensity as the years had passed by. Once, even, her father had taken her on a mission with the Second Division so that she would be ready for the morbid conditions of war.

However, none of her training could have prepared her for the attacks she was receiving from the enormous mantis-like Hollow before her now. The titan was a beast, no doubt about it, from the enormous scar that tore across his right eye, to the six sickle-like arms that swung around dubiously. It pushed her further and further back, the claws, each at least six feet long, growing closer to tasting her flesh and spilling her blood. The only thing keeping her from being shredded by the Hollow's arms was her Hohō training her father had taught her, allowing her to just barely dodge the beast's attacks.

Kisuke, however, wasn't as lucky. Her pale-haired childhood friend had been distracted by the smaller Hollows, keeping them at bay with several dozen Kidō spells at a time. While extremely helpful, the Kidō were quickly draining him, far too quickly to be helped. With his energy so low, he hadn't noticed the mantis's sudden surge in reiatsu, or his gigantic figure lunging up off of the top of the academy roof and into the fray. One slash had been all the beast had needed to knock Kisuke away, down, and out. Yoruichi's eyes glanced over at Kisuke for a moment. The cheeky, annoying older brother she never had…she prayed that he would be all right.

Suddenly, the Hollow lunged forward, his three left arms swinging out quickly. Yoruichi jumped back, acting only on instinct, and dodged the mantis' attack. However, the same could not be said for her Zanpakuto that had been in her hand. The sickles had crossed paths with the sword, and because of Yoruichi's exhaustion from the fight, she could do nothing more than watch in horror as her weapon flew over the heads of the smaller Hollows that had grown to form a ring around her and the mantis-Hollow, the blade sinking into the wall. Her last line of defense, gone.

Yoruichi grimaced painfully, looking up into the boney mask on the titanic Hollow's face. Behind the white shell, she could see the narrow, glowing eyes that were leering down at her. She knew it, and it knew it as well. Fatigued and weaponless, Yoruichi had lost the battle.

And now the Hollow was going to seal his victory.

The cruel beast pulled all three of his right arms up, the blades shining in the bright sunlight. Yoruichi stiffened, her eyes wide. It couldn't simply end like this, her so easily and simply defeated! And yet, there was nothing else she could do. She could hear Lisa, screaming for her to run, as the black-haired girl tried to make her way into the ring. She could feel her heart race, her hands clench and form tight fists, the nails digging painfully into her palms. Slowly, she looked down, eyes clenched shut as she awaited her fate. The Hollow smirked at this, and sliced downward.

"Cast off your fear, Zangetsu."

The entire training field surged with power, knocking some of the smallest and weakest Hollows off their feet or spiraling across the ground or air. A huge pressure fell upon all in the area, freezing the mantis-Hollow's attack in its tracks and leaving Lisa and Yoruichi gasping for breath. Yoruichi's eyes widened as the power continued to grow. It was so heavy, so strong…and so familiar. Her eyes grew even further, and slowly she turned her head towards the source of the reiatsu.

There, only twenty or thirty feet away from the Hollows, was Ichigo. At least, Yoruichi thought it was Ichigo. The scowl was there, the orange hair, even the reiatsu was similar to his. However, she couldn't believe that it was Ichigo, because there was no way he could be so powerful as to be the source of the pressure currently on her shoulders. It just wasn't logical.

Before she could think any more on the subject, the figure who had taken the form of Ichigo held his two swords in his hands, one as long as his arm and in the shape of a trench knife, the other as long as he was tall, and shaped like a butcher's knife. His eyes blazed with power, and he swung the blades out powerfully.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" he cried, two black and red arcs of reishi flying from his blades. The battlefield instantly erupted into blinding light and screams of pain. Yoruichi flung her arm across her face, trying to block the light from burning away her eyes, and thrust her other arm across her body in an attempt to still herself as the powerful attack shook her entire body to the core. She clenched her eyes shut, her ears still ringing with the cries of the Hollows.

And then, everything became silent. Puzzled and a bit afraid, Yoruichi opened one of her eyes, to see what happened in the madness. Her eyes widened in shock. Of the about twenty Hollows that had surrounded her and the mantis-Hollow, only five had survived. Her heart began to race, her gaze frantically leaping across the scene. She practically jumped in fright when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Fear clutching her heart, the Shihōin Princess whirled around quickly…and found herself looking up into a familiar face framed in shaggy, orange hair.

"Ichigo," Yoruichi whispered, suddenly feeling very weak. The Shinigami smiled, nodding slowly.

"Yeah Yoruichi-chan, I'm here," he said softly, placing his hand back on her shoulder. The dark-skinned woman felt a shiver run up her back for some odd reason, her heart race. It couldn't possibly be Ichigo! This, this man, who carried such heavy power, who had just barely decimated the Hollows she had barely survived fighting, simply could not be the same boy that she had teased and trained for the last six months. Suddenly Yoruichi felt her legs give out, but she didn't fall, as Ichigo's arm swung out around her back suddenly, holding her up carefully, like she were made of glass.

"Whoa, careful there, Yoruichi-chan," Ichigo chuckled, holding her steady. The Shihōin girl just blushed a faint crimson and nodded. Ichigo smiled softly down at her, and then looked over at the surviving Hollows, his familiar scowl now back on his face. Slowly, he let go of Yoruichi and stepped forward, quickly removing the trench knife-like blade from his left hand. His gaze swept from one Hollow to another, until finally it rested on the mantis-faced one.

"Well?" he asked, holding his swords at the ready. "What are you all waiting for?"

The mantis-faced Hollow scowled down at Ichigo for a fraction of a second. And then, the very next second, his scowl split into a devilish grin that sent chills down everyone's backs, including the other Hollows. Everyone's backs, that is, except Ichigo's.

"Boys," the figure finally said, his tone sharp and jagged, much like his arms, "tear him apart."

The Hollows didn't even pause for one second to debate against the larger Hollow's orders. Shrieking with rage and hunger, the five smaller Hollows leapt forward, claws singing in the still air. Yoruichi could see their glistening fangs, bloody claws, and crazed eyes, and for a moment her heart sank with fear again, though this time for Ichigo. She looked at the tall orange-haired man, who hadn't moved an inch, looking as though he was frozen solid. She wanted to shout to him, to run up and help him, but she found herself frozen in place, unable to do anything. Her heartbeat quickened again and her body shook in fear as the first of the Hollows came within striking range of Ichigo.

It happened faster than even Yoruichi herself, daughter of the King of Flash, could see. One moment the Hollow was lunging out at Ichigo, ram-like mask angled right at the Shinigami's chest, and the next, Ichigo was behind it, his larger sword resting against his shoulder. The ram-like Hollow's body shook for a second, and then two long slashes appeared across its chest in an 'x', and it shattered into dust. Yoruichi's jaw dropped, her eyes wide. What had just happened?

Another one of the Hollows jumped up behind Ichigo, a bestial glimmer showing through the eyeholes on its fish-like mask. It shrieked in hunger and lunged forward. Before its arm could even reach him, though, Ichigo tossed the trench knife into the air, gripped it in back-hand fashion, and stabbed backwards. The blade sank into the Hollow's face, straight down to the hilt. The Hollow released a soft, pained squeal, and then shattered, just like the first. The ash swirled up around Ichigo again, and the Shinigami turned to the last three Hollows.

Yoruichi gasped as all three lunged at him, shrieking wildly, as though they hadn't just barely seen two of their partners so easily destroyed. Ichigo's scowl dipped lower, but he held his blades firmly as all three lunged at him.

"Ichigo, look out!" Yoruichi exclaimed, eyes wide. Slowly, Ichigo turned back to Yoruichi, his warm eyes sinking into hers. The purple-haired woman felt her heart stop as she stared into the deep eyes, and a small blush form on her face as he gave her a small smile, a nod, and then spun around sharply. The first Hollow was cleaved right in half, his sword singing in the air, the second was lacerated several times, the knife gutting him mid-lunge, and the third was beheaded quickly, his masked head falling from his shoulders as he attempted to attack the orange colored blur. Finally, to seal the deal, Ichigo spun around rapidly, the black and red reishi from earlier appearing again, though now in the form of a spinning pillar of darkness. The Hollows shrieked mournfully within the tornado for a few short seconds, and then the attack ended, with Ichigo standing firm and still as a statue, and the Hollows sailing through the air, their remains quickly disintegrating into dust.

Yoruichi gaped as the last of the ash disappeared into the air, and Ichigo turned towards the mantis-Hollow. _Th-that was incredible!_ she exclaimed in her mind, staring awe-struck at the tall man before her. _He, he killed those Hollows in only a few seconds! I didn't even see how he did it, he just did! _Her eyes fixed on Ichigo, her heart beating harder than if she had been running a marathon in under an hour. _Just what is he?!_

"Amazing!" the tall Hollow shouted, instantly tearing Yoruichi away from her thoughts. Ichigo glared at the beast and gripped his swords tightly. "No, really, that was amazing! You really are somethin' else, kid! I've faced maybe a dozen Shinigami in my past, but I ain't ever seen a brat like you fight so well!" Smirking, the mantis stepped back and tore his arms into the air, forming an enormous Garganta. "In fact, if it weren't fer the fact that the boss wants ya alive, I'd toy around with ya a little longer!"

Ichigo glared and stepped forward. "Wait, what do you mean, 'boss'?" The Hollow only chuckled, stepping into the Garganta.

"Don't worry too much, Shinigami-brat! You'll learn about it when ya need ta know it! So, 'til then, stay strong, and promise me the best fight ya can muster when the time comes!" The Hollow smirked at Ichigo through the closing Garganta, his one good eye shining with evil. "See ya, Shinigami-brat!" And then, with a sound like rumbling thunder, the Garganta closed.


	11. Chapt 11: Cornered

Kaien grimaced as he felt the piercing glares from the Hollows outside the library rake across his body, the beasts leering at their cornered and captured prey. They had stopped testing the walls and barriers that surrounded the library, but now the creatures were silent as the grave, slowly creeping around the outside of the room. They were more patient than most Hollows, he had to admit. Perhaps that was the very reason why he was even more afraid of what they would do once Tejinaji's barriers finally fell.

"Augh! I can't stand it!" Kaien glared as one of the other students leapt up from his spot behind one of the bookshelves. "They're just prowling around out there, not even trying to attack! It's driving me insane!"

"Well, would you rather they break into the library and tear us to shreds?" Kaien countered, glaring at the young man. The student just glared at him and shifted his eyes over to the window, where the face of a large, snake-like Hollow could be seen leering over at him. He shivered and looked away.

"No…" he said softly, quivering in fear, "but anything is better than waiting for them to get to us."

"They _won't_ get to us!" Kaien exclaimed, looking back at the Hollows again. "Any minute now, the men Kiseki-sensei sent for will be here, and they'll be able to take down these Hollows no problem! Just wait it out a little longer, and we'll be good to go, okay?" From somewhere further into the library, Kaien could hear someone snort.

"Yeah right, Shiba-san," the second student challenged, glaring over at him. "It's almost been an hour since the attack started! The Shinigami aren't coming, point blank! If they were, then they would have been here a lot earlier than just now, and we wouldn't have to be in this situation." Smirking, he turned away and leaned against one of the bookcases. "Face it, Shiba-san. We're all dead men walking."

Kaien glared at the other student and was about to spit back a retort when he heard a choked sob from behind him. Slowly he turned around. Miyako was sitting on the ground, right beside him, curled into a small ball. Tears ran down the sides of her face, and her whole body trembled weakly, like a leaf in the wind.

"Tha-that's not true, i-is it, Kaien-kun?" Miyako stuttered out weakly. Kaien's eyes widened for a moment, the grey orbs softening over the fragile girl's state. As quick as he could, Kaien reached over to the bundle of tears and fears and held her in a tender embrace, just as he would to Kukakū or Ganju.

"Don't worry, Miyako," he said soothingly, "we'll make it out of here no problem! The Shinigami are going to come and then we'll be out of here. Just don't worry about it."

Miyako only gave Kaien a small nod as she gripped his student robes tighter, the soft tears slowly rolling down her face still. Kaien sighed softly and turned back towards the center of the room, where Tejinaji was standing, hands out as he continued siphoning reiryoku into the barriers that held the Hollows off. The young Kidō teacher looked as though he had aged several hundred years right before Kaien's eyes, deep-set wrinkles forming on his brow. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, drenching his hair and his clothes, and his breath became shallow and weak. It was a marvel he had managed to hold the barrier for so long, looking at how he was now.

"Tejinaji-sensei," he called out, "how much longer will the barrier hold up?"

Tejinaji frowned and turned to look over at Kaien. "Well, now that the Hollows have stopped attacking us, the barrier should hold for another hour or so." He gave Kaien a small grin and felt a small bit of pride grow in his chest. "I've reinforced it with as much reiryoku as I can manage. It's almost completely invulnerable now. It would take an extremely powerful attack to bring it do—"

_BLLLAAAAMMM!_

Kaien's eyes widened as the explosion shook the entire building, knocking bookcases over, scattering books across the floor, and knocking the students that were standing off their feet. Tejinaji's eyes widened in fear and suddenly both of his arms snapped back, the sound of bones breaking and blood gushing filling the air with his cries of pain. Reishi trembled off of his arms as he fell forward, his whole body shaking in pain. Kaien would have gotten up to help him, if it weren't for the fact he was too absorbed in the sounds coming from all around him.

Cracking. The sound of ice, glass shattering and cracking in the still air. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere, and it sent Kaien's heart sinking like a block of lead. Fear gripped him tightly, and with a tremble in his step, he turned towards the front of the room, where the doors were, or rather, had been. A huge hole was in place of the doors, smoke rising off of the edges. The remains of Tejinaji's barrier were covered in long cracks, and they continued to break down with every second that passed. Finally, after a few seconds, the entire barrier shattered, falling like glass onto the ground. Kaien paid the remains no mind, though, his vision focused solely on the smoking hole.

Silence gripped the air in an iron-tight fist, and nothing could be heard save for the beating of hearts. Miyako shivered beside Kaien, and her hands scrambled with the hilt of her Zanpakuto. Kaien himself had already drawn his blade, and just silently watched the smoking hole, the curtain of grey waving calmly.

"Wha-what are they waiting for?" Miyako asked softly, staring at the large opening. Kaien frowned, wondering the same thing. Just what was it out there, that was waiting for them? He watched the curtain, waiting for some sign of the evil that would soon come upon them, while muttering a few words softly under his breath.

And then, he saw it.

A hand, cool and grey, probably twice the length of his own, cut its way through the smoke and ash. It gripped the wall tightly, the claws digging into the soft wood and drawing long scars across the surface. Another hand reached through the murky cloud, slapping loudly onto the ground below. Then a leg burst through, slamming down beside the hand on the ground. And finally, slipping through the silky smoke, grinning maliciously; the head, bearing the appearance of a saber tooth tiger with a ring of teeth-like horns around the back. Its bright yellow eyes grinned darkly at Kaien, cutting him down, and he pulled himself through, all the way out of the smoke, and bellowed a loud war cry.

"…upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!" Kaien finished loudly, thrusting his hand palm-first at the towering Hollow. "Hadō Number 33; Sōkatsui!"

The blast of blue and white energy slammed right into the Hollow, burning a long arc across its chest and face. The Hollow's roar of pain filled the air and it lunged at Kaien in wrathful fury. The Shiba jumped out of the way and swung up onto the top of one of the bookcases. He scowled at the Hollow again and held his index finger out at it.

"Everyone, now's your chance! While this Hollow's busy with me, get out through the back doors! The other Hollows are gonna come through the hole this guy made, but it's too small for them all to come in at once. If you leave now, then they won't be able to keep up with you!"

"But Kaien—!" Miyako cried, jumping up from her spot. Instantly the saber-toothed Hollow noticed her and thrust one of its arms out at her.

"Hadō Number 4; Byakurai!" Blue and white lightning shot from the tips of Kaien's fingers, burning another jagged blast along the Hollow's extended arm. The Hollow jumped back in shock and pain, and glared up at Kaien in rage. "Don't worry about me, Miyako," Kaien shouted, jumping over the Hollow and towards another bookcase, already readying another Kidō spell. "I'll be fine, just go!"

"Kaien…" Miyako stared up at the young man for a few moments longer, and then nodded sadly. Slowly she turned towards the now open back doors where one of the older students was helping Tejinaji out. She stepped towards the opening and began to walk out. She paused, for just a moment, and turned back to where Kaien was. Instantly her heart dropped.

Two more Hollows had joined in the fight, one shaped like a large bat and the other like a centipede on steroids. Kaien was firing Hadō spells left and right, but even then the beasts were quickly overwhelming him. The Shiba just barely had time to fire a powerful Shakkahō before the centipede lunged at him, the acid-spraying mandibles burning a hole into the spot Kaien had been standing in just a few seconds earlier. Miyako stared in fear at Kaien, and then did the single most stupid thing she could at a time like that.

"KAIEN!"

Kaien's eyes widened as he heard her voice reach him, and for a second, he turned to her, running up to him. The large saber-tooth Hollow turned towards her and roared hungrily, leaping towards her. Miyako screamed, the Hollow pounching onto her and holding her down with one hand.

"Miyako-chan!" Kaien shouted, turning slowly back to her. "Wai—AUGH!"

He was so worried about Miyako, he never notice the bat-Hollow sweep its razor-sharp wings at his back. But Miyako could see it, as well as the spray of blood that shot off from him. A curtain of crimson, raining down as he fell forward onto the ground. Miyako's heart felt like breaking, and tearfully, fearfully, she looked up at the Hollows above her, jaws dripping with saliva.

"Help…" Miyako murmured weakly, her vision turning to black.

* * *

Kaien blinked slowly, his vision blurry and off. He couldn't tell where he was, everything was blurred and off-focus. He felt tired, weak, and sick. His throat ached, was he thirsty? His lungs burned in his chest, why wasn't he breathing? He tried to open his mouth, tried to say something, or even just to try to breathe, but he could barely move at all. Worse, he felt a tinge of salt water grip his tongue when he tried to open it. Just where was he?

"_**Your Inner World."**_

Kaien's eyes snapped open at that and he spun around…which was hard, because apparently he was under several hundred tons of water. Everywhere around him was a deep sea blue, with no end in sight. He couldn't see any sea animals around him, or coral reefs, and if he looked down to see the bottom of the water, all he could see was endless blackness. _My…Inner World…?_ Kaien asked himself softly, turning around again.

"_**Yes, Kaien, this is your Inner World; an ocean, wide and vast, reaching as far as the mind can imagine. Inner Worlds are made to symbolize the best attributes in their masters. Yours shows the grandeur of your dreams, the incomparable vastness of your will to make your desires a reality."**_

_**K**_aien spun around, searching for the voice. _ How do you know this? _he asked, spinning around again, quickly growing annoyed with this game. _Who are you?_

_**Who am I?**_ the voice asked, a soft chuckle hidden amidst his dignified tone. _**Kaien Shiba, why do you ask this, when you already know the answer?**_ Suddenly a spray of bubbles appeared before Kaien, making the boy jump back…er, swim back in shock. The spray grew thicker and whiter, until suddenly a large trident-like war spear suddenly burst through the stream and tore it apart. Standing where the bubbles had been, dressed in deep blue robes with silver armor and carrying the spear, was a tall man with long silver hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled at Kaien and gripped the spear tightly.

_**I am your Zanpakuto, Nejibana.**_


End file.
